Center for khadi weavers, Ahmedabad

Abstract

The thesis project aims at designing spaces that enables the collaboration of the craftsmen with the professionals and an environment for the weavers where they can innovate. The project also aims to sensitise and aware the people about the embodied values of Khadi and the various processes of Khadi production through a museum with live galleries and experiential learning. Khadi described in simple words is any cloth that is hand-spun and hand-woven. The cloth that once stood as the face of Indian identity today struggles to compete with the mill made fabric. Currently the Khadi handloom weavers are working in the absence of proper infrastructure and up gradation which have forced them to change their occupations. Also, lack of a common platform for all the stakeholders of the industry (designers, weavers, retailers etc.) has led to a fragmented and non-dialog scenario. Khadi holds prime position in India‘s social fabric and qualify for the future sustainable needs- yet the brand seeks to advance itself to attract today‘s Indian consumer. The concept of the thesis project is dictated by the Gandhian philosophies of Khadi manifested in architecture. This translation aims at transferring the expression of the fabric and the linked communities to the built environment. It also attempts in designing spaces that are blend of vernacular weaving architecture and new socio-technological changes in weaving practices. Over the course of design development, buildings with similar ideology and climatic conditions were studied. Data was collected from the sample user group to have a better understanding of the user and demand which were analysed and factored into the design, as a result concepts continuously evolved to meet the challenges and conditions of the site The project intent to benefit the weavers, textile professionals, policymakers and rematch the lost link between the people and the industry as a whole. The prime focus of this project is to generate opportunities for the unemployed section of weavers in creating an ecosystem for entrepreneurial development. It also aims to promote innovative weaving techniques among the traditional weavers and spread awareness among the commoners. The outcome of the project attempts to provide a framework model of designing indigenous weaving R&D, production of Khadi & related processes to build ―Atmanirbhar Bharat‖.