HERITAGE INTERPRATATION CENER FOR MEDIEVAL CRAFTS

At present, built environments are trying to emotionally bond with the user. In that context, experiential architecture can be used as a tool to narrate stories through what we sense, feel, and experience. The project aims to address a socio-economic issue that has been neglected over the years. It is about reviving the dying heritage crafts from the Kandyan period by converting them into a viable economic resource. The architectural program focuses on interpreting the story behind medieval crafts to address the 21st-century patronage, which finance craft practices through a sense of emotional values, aesthetics, and social responsibility.

Drawing on Anno Klingmann's conceptual framework of experiential architecture, the design explores the extent of architecture in providing experience, awareness, education, and connecting people through spaces. The proposed site in Kandy, Sri Lanka, holds symbolic and historical significance as the last kingdom where the last patronage was held. The project aims to continue from where it stopped, converting medieval crafts into a viable economic resource for the benefit of the country, society, and most importantly, the artisanal communities.

Key words: 

Patronage, Story-telling, Heritage Interpretation, Ethical Branding, Experiential Marketing, Experiential Architecture, Ethical Consumer.