Name & Location: Centre for Harmonious Living, Palakkad, Kerala

Project Cost: Rs. 2 Crore

Total built up Area: 1500 Sq.m

Total Site Area: 3 Acres

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

Centre for Harmonious Living is visualized as a self sufficient community space for people with psycho social disabilities. It is located in a scenic village Kumbidi at Palakkad district overlooking the river Bharathapuzha. The site is highly contoured with lush greenery and natural waterbodies.

Mental illness – the issue addressed in the centre is a serious disorder in this era of urbanization. Estrangement of the individual from the traditional anchors of the community is very direct fallout of urbanization. Increasing instances of drug abuse and mental disorders are clear symptoms of the populace losing its moorings and being unable to cope with their day to day life.It is against the above backdrop that Centre for Harmonious Living has been founded. It is an initiative to enable a community’s internal dynamics to address questions of participation and include all who are marginalized.

SPECIAL FEATURES

The architecture programme was formulated in such a way that the society’s stigma towards mental illness to keep them aside as marginalized sections will be less. In order to achieve this the centre is designed more as a public cultural space for everybody. In addition to being a psychiatric care centre, the centre is also a place for the arts& theatre, a place for organic farming and a community space for the neighbourhood.

Another aspect of concern was the monotonous, scary and unfriendly nature of the existing mental hospitals. The idea was to have a deinstitutionalized approach to the otherwise rigid institutional approach towards psychiatric care. The master plan is designed along the steep contours with appropriate cut and fill and stilts.

The spaces are visualized as a transition from the scenic exterior landscape into the interiors as open, semi open and closed. The landscaped exterior spaces are merged into the interiors as one opens into the other.

The scale of the building is kept very intimate and human to evoke a homely feel to the patients. The challenge of the design was to achieve open/ semi open spaces that welcome the nature inside and are also safe and secured.

The existing lush greenery of the site is integrated into the spaces by designing semi open spaces and courtyards that make the psychiatric care centre a very homely space.

MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION

Most of the materials are sourced locally and are kept exposed to show the genuine texture. This gives the building a rustic down to earth appearance. It helps in merging the exterior landscape with the interior and lets the patients relate to the spaces better.

Wall: Exposed & plastered laterite masonry (1:6 Cement mortar) Roof: MS truss, MP Roofing & Ceiling tiles, Filler slab with MP tiles (RCC in 1:2:4 ratio)

Floor: Flamed Granite, Kotah stone

Doors & Windows: Pincoda wood, Marine plywood, Mild steel.