Inspired by the account of one of the woodworkers at the Pool House where his life transformed from being a political worker to a skilled craftsman, Abin felt a responsibility to do something for the local community. It led to the idea of setting up a workshop and material research unit which would provide a backbone for explorative and execution works taken up by Abin Design Studio; a co-beneficial system that would provide support to the practice and stable employment to improve the livelihood of locals. The Adisaptagram workshop was thus established in Adisaptagram. Having been able to provide employment to 20 locals by the end of the first year, it proved to be a successful endeavour. ADS is currently in the process of a massive expansion of the workshop and hopes to provide job opportunities to more people by moving more of its back-end work off-site. The proposed workshop extension is programmatically conceived to allow craftsmen and stakeholders to explore and collaborate on building techniques related to carpentry, metalwork, building finishes, material, etc in a singular space along with exhibition spaces and workspaces for supervisors. The proposed major road is along the south side of the site which divides a pond adjacent to it and further an arterial road moves along the east frontage of the site. The building in its conception takes advantage of the south-east wind direction combined with evaporative cooling from the pond but also shades the facade from harsh sunlight. The idea thus is to puncture the facade like a vertical cove and project outward by 4 feet from the built mass to create depth to block direct sunlight and create resting spaces for workers at the workshop. The entry to the building is from the south-east side leading into double-height workshop spaces arranged in an open plan envisioned to allow flexibility in functionality and interaction across the floor plate. The catwalk at the first level along the central spine acts as a visual axis to usher visitors towards the main exhibition spaces and meeting areas located at the south-west side of the building adhering to Vaastu. It also accommodates an introvert green court of 4.2m x 2.0m so as to allow the ‘eye to rest` as said by Charles Correa. The projections along the facade are designed as sleek boxes made using two layers of MS plates for heat insulation and are opened at top, with operable louvers, in a north-facing direction for cross ventilation; the space between consecutive ‘boxes` is covered in sloping G.I sheets resting on M.S rafters as the area receives heavy rainfall. The structure is thus worked out to allow ease in construction while indulging ephemeral functions. Overall, the idea is to break the typology of a factory-like space and establish a language that allows the inclusion of stakeholders within the craftsmen`s space within an architectural framework that develops a strong tectonic relationship with the context.
