• Client: Dharohar
• Architect: Studio Saar
• Lead Engineer: Ami Engineers
• Photography: Ananya Singhal
• Completion: 2024
• Value: Confidential
• Expertise: Structures

Third Space, also known as The Haveli of Curiosity, is a new community centre in Udaipur, India, for non-profit charity Dharohar. The company provides world class facilities for formal and informal learning, socialising, and performing arts. Openness, accessibility, and inclusivity were key ambitions for the centre. 

A central courtyard forms the heart of the building, surrounded by a series of cloisters that help to cool the spaces as well as lead visitors between its formally organised rooms. Our team developed the design of the courtyard’s shading structure — an essential component that allows for year-round use of all areas of the development by mitigating the impacts of extreme heat and sunlight to users while reducing cooling demands within the wider building.

Working with the architect and client, we instead developed a design involving woven bamboo panels — a solution that included the employment of an on-site weaver to make and maintain the canopy full time. A wealth of local expertise in the craft, as well availability of the highly sustainable material, meant that this was a greener, more socially responsible, and more economical solution. The bamboo panels are supported by an efficient and resilient two-way spanning steel frame. 

The result is a unique, innovative design that responds to the specific opportunities afforded by the project’s location.