Expressive Spaces: The Centre for Traditional Arts and Crafts

Introduction:
What is a Centre?
“A place or group of buildings where a specified activity is concentrated.”1 A Centre, in this sense, is a physical
space (a building) which allows the meeting and offering services or benefits. For example:
 Shopping Centre
 Educational Centre
 Medical Centre
 Service Centre
Etc. are some of the main types of Centre.

Educational Centre:
An educational Centre is therefore an educational institution. There are different types and with different
characteristics.
 Early childhood Education
 Primary Education
 Secondary Education
 Further and Higher Education
Fields of Study:
There is no consensus on how some academic disciplines should be classified, however there are broader
terms that define fields of study. Listed below:
 Humanities
 Social sciences
 Formal sciences
 Natural sciences
 Professions and applied sciences

Humanities:

1
Oxford Dictionaries
 Humanities, those branches of knowledge that concern themselves with human beings and their culture or
with analytic and critical methods of inquiry derived from an appreciation of human values and of the
unique ability of the human spirit to express itself. It includes Arts, Literature, Philosophy, History etc.

Why Centre for Arts and Crafts?

Importance:
One of the major fields of humanities is Arts. Traditional Arts and crafts are the integral part of our culture,
the artistic form of historic and cultural connotation and carry the traditions and values into coming
generations. Also play vital role in creating identity of a certain region, country or a city.
Arts and crafts are the truest form of ‘Expression’ of human beings. Making things isn’t just enjoyable;
it’s essential.2 The practice of art and craft is a path to self-awareness and spiritual growth. According to
Maggie Oman, we need to shift meaning of ‘craft’ from ‘skill’ to ‘inner life force in each of us’ that need
to be awaken in order to feel calm and relaxed in this chaotic world. So I decided to design a place where
through arts and crafts, people relax their minds and calm theirs hearts.

Aims and Objectives:

 To keep alive the spirit of Arts and Crafts in the age of social media.
 To provide a place for civic engagement, expression and growth.
 To study how architecture induce creativity into minds.
 To revive the traditional arts skills and techniques in public.
 To study how architecture can provide grounds upon which a society collaborate and nurture.

Spaces Required for Arts and crafts Centre:

Major spaces in an arts and craft centre:
 Studios
 Storage
 Open communal spaces/Green spaces
 Auditorium
 Theatre
 Galleries/Exhibition spaces
 Studio Apartments
 Restaurant

What is the project?

“The research is based on the basic aspects of Louis Kahn’s philosophy: Silence, Light & Order. The research is
an attempt to understand the relation between Mystical Philosophy of Louis Kahn and Sufism, which I believe
are related and can be interpreted in Architectural Spaces.
This study will inform the perspective of how to achieve Spirituality through the Materials,
Light, Silence & Order.”

2
Crafting Calm: Projects and Practices for Creativity and Contemplation (2013), by Maggie Oman Shannon of San
Francisco’s Unity Spiritual Center. 
 The Arts and Crafts Centre is therefore my project typology, for Arts and crafts are the truest form
of ‘Human Expression’. Making things isn’t just enjoyable; it’s essential.3 The practice of art and craft is a
path to self-awareness and spiritual growth. According to Maggie Oman, “we need to shift meaning of
‘craft’ from ‘skill’ to inner life force in each of us” that need to be awaken in order to feel calm and
relaxed in this chaotic world. It is difficult, if not impossible, to have a spiritual life if one cannot access
calm, if one does not allow themselves the time and space to slow down and simply sit in silence.

Aims and Objectives:

 An inclusive space that’ll be a part of community by integrating social life within the educational entity,
building will serve 24 hrs. As an open campus. A place for civic engagement, expression and growth.
 To create an art hub bringing the vernacular artists & engaging them in interactions with students
resulting skills sharing, and showcasing them on a larger platform.
 To make an intervention behave as catalyst that will regenerate the urban fabric acting as a path to a
better community.
 To keep alive the spirit of Arts and Crafts in the age of social media.
 To study how architecture can provide grounds upon which a society collaborate and nurture.

3
Crafting Calm: Projects and Practices for Creativity and Contemplation (2013), by Maggie Oman Shannon of San
Francisco’s Unity Spiritual Center.