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Bhonsle Square
Café Bhonsle Square situated in the heart of Panjim in the vicinity of the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church, was one of the first areas developed in the city after the Portuguese administration moved its capitals to Panjim due to a series of epidemics and plagues in the 1800’s. The square was one of the main areas of business in the city, holding many enterprises, commercial buildings and cafes, many of which still exist today. Some cafes in the area are over 100 years old, with others dating back many decades. The square was eventually made as part of a larger grid plan and has historically been an important public space of the city which witnessed the first developments around the church’s vicinity.
Even today, the Bhonsle square and its adjoining streets remain one of the most active public influx sites in the city of Panjim. However, this space over the period of time was layered by the blankets of illegal parking and traffic which have almost disconnected the square from the people that once were daily visitors at the square. The parking spaces take up more than 2/3rds of the street, with very little usable road. Though there is paid parking on some larger streets, people prefer to park in the smaller streets and around the square as they don’t have to pay for parking. This results in restricting the access to cafes and restaurants in the square. Also, the rainwater drains along the edges of the footpaths are left open, hardly affording walking spaces for pedestrians. The square which once witnessed a heavy influx of pedestrian visitors now experiences an influx of parked vehicles.
INTIAL SKETCHES
Initially the imagined spaces were sketched and schematic sections were developed for the same. The sketches helped in understanding the ground modulation possibilities which contributed into the making of the street.
Studying the various conditions that bring the street together, and the major activity around the square being food, the urban intervention attempts to create a space of configuration and repose that invites the people of the city into the square thereby pedestrianizing the street. The idea of modulating the ground plane throughout the street square is implemented such that the depressions and elevations start holding stepped seating spaces maintaining visual interaction with the other spaces above.
RE-ROUTING THE TRAFFIC
The entire vehicular movement of the street was rerouted so as to make the street pedestrian friendly
The entire street square is thus made pedestrian friendly with addition of in-between seating furniture merging with the street itself rather than being a separate entity fixed onto the street. Water bodies are introduced on the edges of these seating spaces that help in cooling the space around and add to the relaxed experience of the place.
Sections Before and After Intervention
The parking of the square is shifted to the site of the demolished national theater. The open site now serves a building to accommodate parking facilities. The idea here was to accommodate the parts taken out from the square, in order to revitalize the entire square. The nature of transport in Goa is majorly dependent on private vehicles. Also, with the influx in tourism over the years, private vehicles become the easiest mode of transport to commute within the city. The idea thus is to also reimagine the type of a parking building rather than it simply being a banal multi-storied structure.
The form of this building is such that it holds a curved digital screen façade bringing back the idea of an open air theater in the site of the old national theater. The curved façade also creates space for performances such as parades, theater acts, and performances to take place. The side adjacent to this curved façade holds a colonnade that affords space for overnight Goan flea markets to take place thereby vitalizing the entire square. Thus the parking building type is rethought.
During the day, the street is active with people visiting the restaurants, casually hanging out around in the square, the children from the school, etc. but in order to also vitalize the square even during night time and make it a safe space for various demographic groups, the program of overnight flea markets between the colonnades and around the square is introduced.
Markets are one of the most active places to experience a mixed crowd be it any time. Also, the market is one kind of space where there are constant eyes on the street which eventually make the space safe for all. This street opens up to the public and restricts the flow of service vehicles only to a certain period of time of the day thereby pedestrianizing the entire square. Small tensile stalls serving food or other exhibits can be placed along and in-between the street creating more interactions.
The form of the amphitheater opposite to the curved digital façade is such that it doesn't block the visual connection from the screen or performance and is placed on a slightly lower ground that allows the passersby on the street to get a glimpse of the performances as well. Continuing a similar form of seating is the hangout space behind the amphitheater complimented with a water body. At the same time, the digital screen could start displaying overnight movies to binge watch for the people, etc.
The street square now becomes a space of configuration and spare repose. The entire intervention thus helps in vitalizing the street throughout the day and night. A space where one can feel safe both during the day and at night. All in all, it becomes a space that invites people from all walks of life irrespective of gender to relax, rejuvenate and participate in various performances and activities of the square.
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