B.Arch Thesis - National Museum of Architecture, New Delhi, by Niranjan Kaur - ArchitectureLive!

4/8/2020 B.Arch Thesis: National Museum of Architecture, New Delhi, by Niranjan Kaur - ArchitectureLive!
ARCHITECTURE EDUCAT…
B.Arch Thesis: National Museum of Architecture, New Delhi, by Niranjan

Kaur
Thesis Guides: Ms. Meena Mani / Ms. B.K. Tanuja / Prof. Dr. Jaya Kumar
ABSTRACT
https://architecturelive.in/b-arch-thesis-national-museum-of-architecture-new-delhi/ 1/9
The National museum of architecture is a project proposed by Greha along with the council of architecture,
INTACH and Indian Institute of architects. The site for the project is in Lado Sarai, New Delhi, 1km away from
Qutub Minar.
The idea of this thesis is to explore and nd out what an architectural museum should aim to do. The
understanding of architecture varies between architects and the public. Every person is directly or indirectly
affected by any piece of architecture, just that majority of them don’t realize what is it about architecture
that’s affecting them and how. They appreciate/criticize architecture consciously/sub-consciously at times
without understanding why it is the way it is. This difference in understanding between the architect and
his/her subject (any person getting affected by architecture) needs to be brought to the same level by
providing a platform that brings them together. This museum will become a centre for knowledge for
everyone visiting it. It will become an icon that people want to see when they visit the city of Delhi. It will
become an inclusive public place for people from all backgrounds to gather and talk about architecture. It will
become a place of education for aspiring architects to do their research and understand architecture. Most
importantly, it will become a place that is important to city without disturbing the city fabric. It should stand
out not in terms of its form, but in terms of the spatial experience. The architectural expression will be such
that it re ects the past, present and the future of architecture.
The place will empower architects as they receive better acknowledgment and appreciation for their works.
The museum is meant to house information about other buildings so that the visitors understand and learn
why they appreciate or they don’t when visit a piece of architecture. It might be known as the guardian of
heritage. It might be known as a centre of knowledge for those who wish to know about architecture. It might
be a platform for people to connect to each other through the exhibits and spaces. Whatever this museum is
identi ed as will be a re ection of what it aims to do.
PROPOSITION: This thesis aims to connect the society to architecture on a level that bridges the gap
between the understanding of the architecture between the architects and their victims (referred to anyone
getting affected by any piece of architecture).
The museum will exhibit the architecture marvels of the past, accomplishments of the present and the vision
for the future. The experience will involve weaving of all the three phases of time, a time-line to dive into. This
experience of a time-line will be translated into architecture. Therefore, the museum will be dedicated to
both historic and contemporary works, it will be journey from certainty to uncertainty which will further get
translated into the architecture of exhibition spaces, site planning and the building form. Major functions:
1. LIBRARY: Library provides services to the public and contain large number of books or volumes related to
all aspects of architecture including biographical information about renowned architects.
2. CONVENTION CENTER: Auditorium, Multipurpose hall and exhibition galleries are largely public function,
people- intensive components. These spaces allow events like seminars, lectures, lm-screenings, launches of
new proposals, etc.
3. MUSEUM: Museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artefacts and other objects related to
subject which are available for public viewing through exhibition that may be permanent or temporary. The
museum will house various galleries showcasing the historic works of architecture to the traditional-
vernacular to the contemporary architecture. It will house drawings, models, photographs and lms showing
depicting design as well as the construction process.
i. Gallery of ancient history (permanent)
ii. Gallery of modern architecture (permanent)
iii. Gallery of contemporary architecture (temporary)
iv. Gallery of contemporary architecture (temporary)
v. Gallery of the futuristic visions (temporary)
4. RESEARCH CENTER: It is consisting of R&D labs, innovation centres, discussion rooms, workshops, lecture
rooms all programmatic element associated with the activities involve in the pursuit and dissimulation of
knowledge.
FORMULATION OF THE AREA PROGRAM:

Concept for the formulation of the area program according to the requirements of the user groups that the
museum will visit the museum.
For students and architects:  CONVENTION/CONFERENCING FACILITY: Auditorium and multi-purpose

halls to hold lectures and such events Meeting rooms
For students and research scholars:
RESEARCH CENTRE: Research and Design labs to provide a kind of a co-working space for researchers and
students. A library containing books on all subjects of architecture and archival drawings.
For architects and public:  MUSEUM: Exhibition galleries containing exhibits of historic architecture,
modern architecture, contemporary architecture and temporary galleries allowing space for future
interventions.
For Research scholars and public:  PUBLIC FACILITIES: Residential facility containing guest rooms for
research scholars and tourists. Spaces like cafes allowing the two to interact.
SITE: A 1.3-hectare, vacant
INSTITUTIONAL SITE, belonging to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has been identi ed. This is
located in Lado Sarai, close to the Qutb Complex and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi with good
access from the Mehrauli Badarpur Road.
DEVELOPMENT CONTROLS:
LANDUSE: Public/semi-public (Socio-Cultural institution)
TOTAL AREA: 12800 sqm
MAXIMUM GROUND COVERAGE: 35%
MAXIMUM FLOOR AREA RATIO: 120
MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 26m
PARKING: 2 ECS per 100 sqm
SETBACKS: 9m on all sides (NBC 2016)
AREAS OF RESEARCH:
1. MEDIUM: In a museum of architecture, it is important to understand the medium through which

architecture will be exhibited. It may be models, drawings, photographs, digital media and also virtual reality.
Therefore, it will be required to be speci ed what is needed in this case.
2. PROGRAMMATIC CONTENT: It will also be necessary to study the programmatic content in order to
evolve an area program. The study shall also focus on the sub-divisions and inter-relationships of each
component.
3. REFLECTION OF TODAY: The museum should re ect the present, therefore there will be a need to study
how are the buildings such as museums and research centres which are meant for public/ semi-public use
being designed today, in addition to the study of the ones which have been signi cant since a number of years.
RESEARCH AND DESIGN:
The medium of displaying information is majorly responsible for its identity and for drawing people to the
museums. In case of museums dedicated to archaeology, the display objects are presented in the condition
that they were found in. This holds true for a number of museums which display historic objects, documents
or maps. Art museums display objects in the mediums used by respective artists. Therefore, the medium was
not something that could be controlled in every museum. However, as the technology is growing, there has
been a revolution in eld of exhibiting. Digital technologies have found a home in the modern museum in the
forms of interactive touchscreen kiosks, CD-ROMs, computer games, largescreen installations and
videowalls with multiple images, digital orientation centers, “smart badge” information systems, 3-D
animation, virtual reality, and increasingly sophisticated museum web sites (Grif ths, 1999). This has changed
the physical character of the museum. Be it historic museums, art museums, science museums or any other,
people are exploring new ways of exhibiting artifacts and information by prioritizing the USER EXPERIENCE.
In case of a museum of architecture, one wonders about the possibilities of mediums through which
information can be displayed. A recent architectural exhibition organized in 2018 at Mori Art museum
(Tokyo) on ‘Japan in architecture’ displayed information through models of all scales, installations, drawings,
photographs as well as digital display, interactive touch screens and 3D projections. The Van Gogh Museum’s
recent display using Sensory4 technique is the latest attempt at using technology to revolutionize museum
experience. Van Gogh’s works are projected on a large scale on walls allowing the users to notice every detail
and have an experience of a lifetime. Exhibition held at NGMA in 2014 dedicated to B.V. Doshi’s works
recreated some parts of his buildings on large scale so that the visitors can experience the same. Another
intervention in the eld of exhibitions is virtual reality. Taking the users to a different space virtually to make
them experience the scale and proportions of it. This can be very important to the eld of architecture.
NMOA will be not just be a museum but a part of the network of museums all over the country.
DesignXdesign exhibition, 2019, held in Delhi consisted of a Virtually reality exhibit in which one could
virtually change the interiors of the room they are standing in. The building needs to be a re ection of the
today in the sense that it also glori es the historic achievements as well as paves way for future interventions.
NMOA will consist of functions that allow preservation, exhibition and research of information/objects of
architectural importance. In addition to this, it will also support and encourage conversation/interaction
among architects and the public.
The strong context with a dense urban village on one side of the site and open green land on the other
requires the museum to be sensitive to this urban fabric. Thus, the massing and design has been approached
such that it responds to its immediate context as well as the site itself. The placement of the open and the
built needs to respond to the context around it as well as the placement of the functions. The idea of placing a
large plaza in the front has been derived from the concept of an ever-changing space which is visible from the
main road, it will house temporary exhibits that will keep on changing. This gives a dynamic nature to the
front face. The corner opening towards the main road ensures a visual connection by providing the passersby
with glimpses of exhibitions. The plaza may be used as a semi-open exhibition space. The central opening
towards the Phirni road becomes the main entry to the complex. This establishes a visual axis with another
opening towards the Lado Sarai village. This visual axis further divides the site into two parts, across which all
the functions can be well-distributed. On one side are the functions which are mostly public like the museum
galleries and cafes, on the other side towards the main road are semi-public functions in the sense that they
will be used mostly by research scholars, architects and students who visit the centre for research purpose. In
addition to the research centre, there is a convention centre for conferencing and lecture purposes. This
centre may be accessed directly from the Phirni road via the rear entry leading to the lobby of the
Convention centre or it may be accessed from within the internal courtyard. Towards the most private corner
(NW) of the site is the guest house with a drop off from an external road as well as access from the internal
courtyard. The library, research centre and museum mass facing towards the green patch of land which
symbolizes the growth. In similar manner, the guest house and the convention were placed according to the
context. The terraces in the museum are also placed considering the same approach as the plaza in the front.
These are supposed to provide space for open-to-sky temporary exhibitions. The ever-changing nature of
these exhibits will also add to the dynamic nature of the facade. As one enters the museum block by crossing
the connection bridged with the drop off, there is an option to use the escalators or elevators to move
between any two oors. The ground and the rst- oor house temporary galleries with circulation such that
the entry and exit point is the same (the internal gallery circulation can be seen in the oor plans shown later).
Second, third and fourth oors house permanent and temporary exhibitions with circulation starting and
ending at different points in order to maintain ow of movement particularly in the U-shaped plans and
eventually link with the exit core as well. The museum circulation ends on the fourth oor as one reaches the
core to lead them down to the lobby exiting out to the drop off area and also allowing them to collect their
belongings from the cloak room. The strategic placement of the museum shop is also in the same area to
attract the visitors as well as passersby to the shop. The drop off area also connects to the plaza in the front
giving an option to the visitors to look at the exhibits over there or have a meal/snacks at the restaurant. In
addition to this F&B facility, there is a small, not-so-heavily serviced cafe on the top oor with the view of the
surrounding context. The front plaza leads down to the convention centre as well through the stepped
courtyard. The guest house facility can also be accessed through the courtyard.
FACADE TREATMENT:
The Internal facade and section depict the traditional architecture and expression. The facade will consist of
traditional windows/doors as a part of exhibits popping out in small boxes. Functionally, these boxes are
balconies which are supposed to be points of pause within the museum allowing the visitor to stop by and
take a break in these naturally lit balconies. External facade is re ective of the present and the future through
a very contemporary look. A dynamic facade helps reduce the heat gain using rotatable panels made out of
aluminium jaali and solid aluminium sheet. These panels provide the external facade with a continuous and
uniform skin. The panels are rotatable mostly where there are openings inside. The panels outside solid walls
are mostly xed to save energy. Facade for housing features triangular shading devices on two sides of the
room windows. Since, it a South-east facing facade, the idea of these shading devices is to protect the building
from the southern sun.
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4/8/2020 B.Arch Thesis: National Museum of Architecture, New Delhi, by Niranjan Kaur - ArchitectureLive!