arcspace

Jetvana Buddhist Centre

by Nina Tory-Henderson | 30. Oct 2016
Cultural | Educational | Project

The Jetvana Buddhist Centre nestles itself within the existing vegetation. Photograph by Edmund Sumner

By Nina Tory-Henderson

In Buddhist mythology ‘Jetavana’ refers to a sacred grove of trees, where the

Buddha gave the majority of his teachings in Northern India. The Jetvana
Buddhist Centre is aptly named, its own sacred grove of sorts, situated in a
densely forested pocket in rural Maharashtra, western India. The site lies
within the campus of a sugar factory, and acts as a spiritual and skill
development centre for its workers and the surrounding Dalit Baugh
Ambedkar Buddhist community, providing spaces for meditation and yoga as
well as training and skill development.
A requirement of the brief was that no tree would be removed from the site for the
construction of the centre. The plan weaves a series of pavilion like structures
through the existing arbour, creating a lush grove, as its name implies. Interior and
exterior spaces progress into one another with little distinction made between the
two: the generous roof canopy shades the exterior pathways, the lifted butterfly roof
brings the surrounding forestation within the interior, and the pavilions enclose two
sunken courtyards that act as exterior rooms.

The lifted roof structure brings the surrounding foliage within, giving the feeling of being alfresco in the interior.
Photograph by Edmund Sumner

The structures frame small courtyards, used as outdoor rooms for community gatherings. Photograph by Edmund
Sumner

The Jetvana Centre is a bricolage of locally sourced and recycled materials. It has
been made with what is at hand, using construction methods that put what is
available to work. The loadbearing rammed walls are a composite of basalt stone
dust (waste from a quarry 13km from the site) and fly ash (a by-product from the
adjoining sugar factory). The roof truss repurposes the salvaged wood of sea
vessels from a ship breaking yard in Alang and the Mangalore clay roof tiles are
sourced from local demolition sites.

Material diagram. Courtesy of sP+a architects

Materials and construction methods were developed in collaboration with sP+a, the
local community and Hunnarshala – an institution based in Bhuj, Gudjarat. Their
work centres around reviving local artisanal knowledge, technologies and skills,
working with communities to develop the capacity to shape their own habitats, with
their own methods. Through this collaboration the Jetvana Centre makes the most of
both new and old techniques, an assemblage of traditional, modern and developed
building processes and materials.

Our approach to the Jetvana project looks to extend the idea of the regional paradigm whilst
separating it from the pervasive ‘image’ of what defines the local.”

/Sameep Padora, Director sP+a Architects

The exaggerated roof line and heavy rectilinear walls give the centre a contemporary aesthetic. Photograph by
Edmund Sumner

There is a strong modernist aesthetic in the rectilinear forms of the concrete-looking

rammed walls, boasting massive concrete box gutters with an impressive span. But
much of the buildings construction relies on local artisan skills. The flooring uses a
local traditional technique of compressed mud and cow dung, known for its cooling
and antiseptic properties.

Local techniques were used in the roof insulation system, a series of wooden batons
covered by jute cloth and dipped in wet clay, a method developed especially for the
project.
A combination of contemporary and traditional building techniques come together effortlessly. Photograph by
Edmund Sumner

The design of the Jetvana Centre is practical, cunning and efficient. Almost entirely
made from recycled and locally sourced materials, it is highly sustainable. But sP+a’s
use of material is much more than ‘green’. The buildings tectonics are imbued with
narrative; its materiality and construction tell a story of context, tradition and history
through an embodiment of local knowledge and labour. This story is clearly told
through the strong articulation of its structure; each joint reveals exactly how it was
made, how it connects one thing to the next. Surfaces are left unfinished and
exposed, with nothing clad or concealed. This is not a claim that the building is
‘honest’, but that its design shows an understanding that architecture is inherent with
the potential for expression, through engaging with the layered realms of history,
material and knowledge of a place.
A collage of materials and surfaces are artfully composed, creating pleasing interiors. Photograph by Edmund
Sumner
The Jetvana Centre by night. Photograph by Edmund Sumner