tiled rooftop amphitheater encloses wallmakers' nisarga art hub

a new cultural hub opens in kerala

Nisarga Art Hub, a community and cultural center in Ernakulam, India, has been completed by locally-based architects Wallmakers in celebration of the traditional culture of the state of Kerala. The project was created for a family of musicians, and designed as a space where the community could gather and experience art. Sited near a paddy field, the art hub draws inspiration from the traditional Kerala roofs that dot the surrounding landscape. These roofs are characterized by their sloping, tiled surfaces, which provide excellent insulation and temperature regulation. However, as Kerala roofs can also lend dark interiors, the team sought to strategically break open the roof to ensure natural light.

images © Syam Sreesylam

nisarga art hub: an amphitheater of skylights

Wallmakers defines its Nisarga Art Hub by its Kerald rooftop, incorporating both skylights which serve a dual-purpose. The architects‘ solution was to incorporate the series of skylights into the roof, angled at 35 degrees to match the angle of an open-air amphitheater. This creates a unique, occupiable surface where the skylights serve as seating for an audience, while a series of wooden planks placed over a swimming pool creates a stage for open-air concerts accommodating nearly eighty people.

Nisarga Art Hub is a community and cultural center designed by Wallmakers in Ernakulam, India

wallmakers builds with repurposed debris

The interior spaces of Nisarga Art Hub are designed by Wallmakers to be open and flexible, the wooden floors integrating seating elements for lounging and dining. The walls are built with the architects’ patented Shuttered Debris Wall Technique, which makes use of construction debris collected from the neighboring town together with soil excavated from the site. These recycled materials create load-bearing walls that are strong enough to support even a four-meter cantilever on the first floor — a space which hosts a recording studio.

the project was commissioned by a family of musicians who aimed to create a gathering place for community

Nisarga Art Hub is designed with a number of green elements, including a curtain of climbing plants on the western facade to filter the afternoon sun. Meanwhile, the strategically-located skylights allow light to stream in, and are diffused by rolled burlap bags which permit the hot air to escape. A verandah is formed by reclaimed clay blocks, reminiscent of the old ‘Muttam’ courtyards of traditional Kerala homes

the roof doubles as an open-air amphitheater, with a series of skylights functioning as seating
the architects drew inspiration from the traditional Kerala roofs that dot the surrounding landscape