AR43's Commitment To Compassionate Spaces Expands With A New Community Project
- Written by: Telegraph Magazine
This commitment is recently reflected in AR43's latest community project in Southern India - the Karuna Home for the Aged. The Home is due for completion in August and is set to open in November 2023.
The Karuna Home for the Aged consists of 1 administration office, therapy centre, dining hall, and several kitchen/service areas. 2 blocks of dependent and semi-dependent residences and 3 blocks of independent residences will house 28 residents and 8 to 10 live-in nurses, therapists, and doctors. A grand Gompa (Prayer Hall) is an extension of the Home and serves as a dedicated multi-purpose space for residents to gather, retreat and meditate or conduct daily prayers with the Buddhist monks.
With its construction costing approximately 35 million Rupees, which is funded by local and international donors, the Karuna Home for the Aged sits on a 2 acres ( 8,094.0 sqm) site and will follow a comparable design to the Karuna Home for the Disabled, built in 2010. The master planning and architectural design are the pro-bono works by AR43, while the construction is managed by Khube Rinpoche, Founder of the Karuna Home.
The facility will feature a modern vernacular architecture design that allows for passive cooling in the tropical climate, with sheltered circulation corridors lining the compound alongside lush landscapes. A deep overhanging roof will be the centrepiece of the building project, providing proper shelter from rain, sun, and other environmental conditions. Since the roof is made of natural clay roof tiles, it also has the capability to insulate the space below, keeping residents and visitors cool and comfortable throughout the year.
AR43's focus on the sustainable built environment is enforced through the use of the iconic rusty red laterite stones for the exterior envelopes of the Home. This unique building material is sourced from the local quarry and is abundantly available in India, making it inexpensive, sustainable and recognisable.
Established since 2006, AR43 Architects Pte Ltd has always prioritised being a sustainable and inclusive architecture company in Singapore. All of its designs are based on a synthesis of the location and the program and are specially constructed with physical and emotional understanding in mind. They provide a wide array of services in institutional architecture, hospitality architecture, and even commercial interior architecture. This can only be achieved by the firm's diversely unique designers and architects, all of whom bring their knowledge, expertise, and creativity to the table.
Similar to the Karuna Home for the Disabled, which was nominated as a Finalist for the Architecture For The Necessity, AR43 is looking for the Karuna Home for the Aged to be recognised as an inspiration for compassionate spaces in the future and a leading example for community design in architecture.
For more information, please visit https://www.ar43.com/en/home/.
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