Serendipity Barefoot School of Craft: Made in Goa
Serendipity Barefoot School of Craft is a two-year project which, for this edition of the festival, consists of an architectural competition. The display of all complete submissions and a selection of 15 submissions for development into architectural models will be showcased at SAF 2017.
The Serendipity Barefoot School of Craft seeks to raise awareness about the importance of our continued and collective engagement with local environments, skills, materials and crafts pedagogy.
1. Space Intervention
Every year since 2000 the Serpentine Gallery has commissioned a temporary summer pavilion by a leading architect.
In 2017 Gando, Francis Kéré has designed a responsive Pavilion that seeks to connect its visitors to nature – and each other. An expansive roof, supported by a central steel framework, mimics a tree’s canopy, allowing air to circulate freely while offering shelter against London rain and summer heat.
Kéré has positively embraced British climate in his design, creating a structure that engages with the everchanging London weather in creative ways. The Pavilion has an open air courtyard in the centre where visitors can sit and relax during sunny days. The roof and wall system are made from wood. Similar to the concept of the Serpentine Gallery, the Serendipity Barefoot School of Craft Pavilion will be a sustainable and eco-friendly structure that responds to Goa and shall have an exhibition of architectural models. More importantly, we hope to create a space for an architectural intervention – even in the future.
2. Sustainability
– SAT focuses and has a mandate to respond to Goa as a space and aims to involve the Goan. We are
looking at a pavilion that responds to Goa as well.
– Bamboo as a material must be used.
– Low Carbon Footprint
– The design and production shall need to be based on the use of low skill labour
3. Pavilion shall showcase
– excellence in Design
– proposal entries as well as the 15 shortlisted models
-the space is an intervention of art, crafts, design and most importantly architecture
– post the Festival – it could be a resting point for walkers and visitors
4. Spatial Brief
As per the survey, the site(paved rectangular patch) is approximately 1100 sq.ft. Surrounding area can be used as per design. The structure should be able to host around 40 people at one time and must incorporate all the functions mentioned below:
(i) Oven space where this will be the live aspect of the pavilion where bakers shall
need a traditional oven.
Bake the traditional breads of Goa with some intervention (e.g: adding sea salt)
Allow people and other bakers to come discuss and comment
Maybe sell the breads as well as have tasting for the audiences
The space allotted to this would be 100 sq ft which will include the oven, bread resting racks and fermentation area.
The oven shall cover approximately 60 sq ft.
Remarks: To avoid fire hazards this would need to be outside and not within the pavilion.
Wet space would be needed as water may be needed for the preparation of dough, hand washing and incase of fire hazard.
(ii) Prototyping Area which is only for
– Showcasing objects made of bamboo
– Highlighting the history of bamboo
Shelves for 10 prototypes like bamboo spectacle frames, bamboo spectacle cases, coconut shell and ceramic buttons, etc
Information and graphics about the prototypes
Information of where the designs come from?
(iii) Main Exhibition Space for
– 15 models and proposals
– 3 to 4 feedback pedestals possibly near the entry/exit with tablets (which would need to be secured). This area would be accessed by the public. The space shall also have the option of a
manual feedback as well, so provision to keep questionnaires printed on recycled paper shall be there.
5. Other Elements
(i) Minimal electricity usage
(ii) naturally ventilated
(iii) – The Pavilion should be one that can be retained for a period of 6 months to year, if permission is given to leave it. If needed to be removed, it should be completely removable without any footprints
(iv) no wet area needed (except in Oven area)
6. Need for Design intervention at Bhagwan Mahavir Children’s Park
We are on a journey to explore and reinvent Panjim as a cultural space, and we believe that interventions through contemporary designs play a crucial role. With “Serendipity Barefoot School of Craft: Made in Goa”, we aim to showcase this intervention with traditional craft forms and sustainable yet contemporary architectural designs.
As we have this journey is one that will expand over the years, we would like to use the Children’s Park for the pilot part of the project and merge architecture and craft, reinventing the natural space through sustainable design and create a foundation for architects to build on in the coming phases of the project.