Ballygunge Retail, Kolkata

Brick | Contemporary | Craft | Facade | Light & Shade | Terracotta | Vernacular

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal
Area: 19,000 sft.
Status: Statutory Approval
Client: K.C.T. Group

The site is situated in a very dense urban fabric in South Kolkata. It is encompassed on the three sides by major roads, creating an important traffic junction.

The aim of the project was to create a destination retail place. The allowed FSI, volume and shape of the site lead to the volumetric expression of a box. The main idea was to incorporate Kolkata's colonial arcades, introduced during British period, along with Bengal's own terracotta crafts and brickwork. We chose to respect heritage, by not being imprisoned in old forms, but as an evolution of traditional values.

Most of the exposed concrete arcade acts as an inclusive entrance portico, as well as housing a multilevel car parking towards the back. The upper floors have various sized windows, proposed to act as "Urban Lookouts" for the visitors to see the city fabric beyond the perimeter of the building.