SAREE GARDEN
Kolkata, India
The Saree Garden is a building design for Swayam, a non profit organization committed to ending violence against women and children, based in Kolkata, India. The saree, the beautiful, dignified, everyday, iconic, symbol of womanhood is reframed as a draping landscape and planted veil which wraps the building. These flowering panels, based on the dimensions of a saree, screen an undulating stair, where women and their children can circulate, rest and play, shaded from the hot sun. From the interior of the building, views look at nature, introduced to the narrow streets of the city. From the exterior, the symbol of woman is announced powerfully to the public. Instead of seeking contextual cues from surrounding buildings, Swayam's new home sets the architectural tone for the street. It empowers women through visible, recognizable and cultural symbolism. With Dreamland.
