HASI KARAGA

The site is in the heart of Bangalore, right next to Cubbon Park. It is a fantastic opportunity to unlock an area with a lot of natural beauty and make it accessible throughout the year for the larger public. The site is historic to the Karaga community who celebrate their festival here for the past 150 years. The site is blessed with mature trees, a water body and a temple. The site is broadly divided into four zones- the temple area, the water body, the new public park, and a community center.

The scheme is designed to reimagine the space around the temple to accommodate the festival as well as flexible scalable spaces for daily activities. This allows the plaza to be used throughout the year based on varying needs. 

The public park thoughtfully integrates the key natural assets on site. It opens up a previously underutilized area in the heart of Bangalore to deliver a fantastic public space. The park continues the narrative of the Karaga festival and its significance through inventive play areas that double up as informational elements. Landscape design enables varied experiences with rock parks, landscape mounds with integrated seating that act as activity areas and walking paths weaved around the water body. 

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The water body has a natural rock formation which is now made accessible. The waterbody is the central part of the site with all the other activities overlooking the water.  

The community building is also part of the detailed scheme that reflects the rich heritage of the Karaga community and provides spaces for their use. The architectural palette is in line with the larger master plan. Local materials with pops of colour create a unique language that borrows from traditional techniques but still remains relevant. Integrated artwork allows the site to be visible from the main road despite being below the level of the road.