City as a Hydro centric Construction -...

City as a Hydro centric ConstructionThe Water Corridors of Kumbakonam city in the Cauvery Deltay y

anitha suseelan, asst. prof. City as a Hydro centric Construction : KumbakonamR V College of Engineering LAKE_2008 SYMPOSIUM IISc_BangaloreBangalore 23 Dec 08

an overview

•The Regional setting

•The Concept of Hydro social city : the urban tissueThe Concept of Hydro social city : the urban tissue

•The Landscape layer

•Water Structuring Urbanity

•The Ritual Topographyp g p y•The Linear Urban Blocks•The continuum of Open Spaces_the green corridors


introductionHistorically the relationship of water to urbanization holds aRegional Historically the relationship of water to urbanization holds aprivileged position in India. When water is a shrinkingresourceThe thrust of this paper is to examine the possibility of

gSetting

The Hydro Social City The thrust of this paper is to examine the possibility of

• simultaneously protect landscape and imposeradically new spatial configuration in urbandevelopment sustainable form of urbanism

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•Landscape layer

•Water structuring rbanit development _ sustainable form of urbanism

The case selected – the water corridors of Kumbakonam-• stresses on an indigenous regenerative strategy of

urbanity •Ritual topography

•The Linear • stresses on an indigenous regenerative strategy ofurban development in concurrence with the naturalwater structure

Urban Blocks

•The green continuum


regional settingRegional gSetting

The Hydro Social Cityy

•Landscape layer

•Water structuring rbaniturbanity

•Ritual topography

•The Linear Cauvery River BasinUrban Blocks


Cauvery River Basin

Kumbakonam, Kashi on Cauvery, is an ancient South Indian City located in Cauvery River


regional settingRegional Kumbakonam in thegSetting

The Hydro Social City

Kumbakonam, in the Cauvery River Delta

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•Landscape layer



•The Linear Urban Blocks


Kumbakonam, the religious centre, is a river-edge settlement located in the delta between the Cauvery & its distributary Arasalar.


The religious centre in the Cauvery Delta

regional settingRegional The religious centre in the Cauvery Delta

Kumbakonam is unique being one of the very few multicore temple cities.one of the earliest settlements of the Cholas in the Cauvery

gSetting

The Hydro Social City yy

•Landscape layer




•The green continuum Area - 12.58sqkm

Population - 1.4 lakhs


the hydro social city_ the conceptRegional Setting

• The structuring of the city maintain the identity of thesite’s historical layers and the strong connection with water.

g g


• The urban tissue explains the integratedappropriations at the social, economic and environmentallevels thus bridging the stratified urban conditions in cities

•Landscape layer

•Water structuring urbanity levels thus bridging the stratified urban conditions in cities

• The morphology of the settlement has been, to al h d b h h h h


•The Linear Urban Blocks large extent, shaped by the way the water runs through

its landscape and historically how man has dealt with it.

Urban Blocks



the landscape layerRegional Settingg g


•Landscape layer

•Water structuring Ridge–Valley diagram

Spatial Configuration`

gurbanity


•The Linear

Spatial Configuration

Strewn with tanks and a number ofwater channels flowing from west to•The Linear

Urban Blocks

•The green continuum System of water channels

geast It has a shallow slope down fromnorth to south with the many ridgelinesrunning east west.

Traditionally, the tanks could be classified into 3 types

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Water structuring urbanityRegional Settingg g


• The spatial organisation or grouping of urban waterdistribution has been very sensitive to the specific waterscapeof the city evolving an urbanity integrating social engineering•Landscape layer

•Water structuring

of the city evolving an urbanity integrating social engineeringand accepting water as a cycle

• this demanded a strict civic social and politicalurbanity •Ritual topography

•The Linear

• this demanded a strict civic, social and politicaldiscipline creating an inter dependant urban watermorphology.



• The temple city has been conceived with theunderlying canonical principles in its overall structure.


ritual topographyRegional Settingg g

The Hydro Social City • The city is defined by reciprocities & relationships

between ritual & civic life & their embodiment in•Landscape layer

•Water structuring urbanity

Rit l

between ritual & civic life & their embodiment inarchitectural settings


•The Linear • The urban realm in the sacred city is a continuum ofritual space articulated through a hierarchy of localized levelsUrban Blocks


ritual space articulated through a hierarchy of localized levels


ritual topographyRegional Settingg g


•Landscape layer


Rit l•Ritual topography

•The Linear

Myth and the spatial elementsRitual topography Map

Urban Blocks


The Mahamakam TankThe sky line of Kumbakonam


linear urban blocksRegional Settingg g


•Landscape layer


Rit al

Ridge–Valley diagram


•Linear U bUrban Blocks•The green continuum

The Street Hierarchy The initial interventions on the landscapeSystem of water channels

Response of street network to the watercourses State highway, the main spine, runs through the ridge. The street network responds to the topographical features and the network of canals

The Street Hierarchy mapy




•Landscape layer


Rit al•Ritual topography


The Street HierarchyThe Street Hierarchy mapResponse of street network to the watercourses State highway, the main spine, runs through

the ridge. The street network responds to the topographical features and the network of canals




•Landscape layer




The Street HierarchyThe Street Hierarchy mapThe linear urban blocks The urban block is primarily defined with main temples with the tanks

as the core and Streets run parallel to the water network giving access to the private plotsThus building alternative linear strips of land and water.


the Continuum of open spacesRegional Settingg g


•Landscape layer



•Linear Urban BlocksBlocks


The green corridors Balanced system of built and open with the larger concern to maintainthe rear set backs as a collective open space to conserve the water shed.




•Landscape layer





The green corridors This concept of green corridors allowed for future densification




•Landscape layer





The green corridors the process of over densification and a negative attitude tothe water, which addresses a serious conservation concern,in the recent years


new possibilitiesfindings and opportunitiesfindings and opportunities

• A well planned hydrological infrastructure with the normative mobility/ transport network and land uses proposals offer possibility to protectthe collective public realm of rapidly urbanising cities.

• The paradigm of hydro social city where the water structures the urbanmorphology and water is viewed as a resource rather than a waste.

• It offers an opportunity to re-establish the link of water to cities andthe ambivalent relationship between the man made and the natural.


new possibilities

City as a symbiosis of the man and the environment transforming nature into culture and to a highly organised sustainable spatial configuration and not a

mere economic engine g

thank youthank you


City as a Hydro centric Construction -...

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