Bhubaneswar: It’s National Handloom Day, which celebrates the hand-spun aesthetics and indigenous talent of India.
Did you know a building in Odisha, which is known for its handloom weaves, features a distinctive brick façade inspired by Ikat that enjoys geographical indication status from the region?
Here, we are talking about Krushi Bhawan in Bhubaneswar. The façade of the office of the Odisha State Department for Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment has been modelled on the distinctive ikat weave of Odisha expressed in pigmented bricks, signifying the geographical diversity of the region. This brick-louvred screen also acts as a solar shading device.
Ikat is a resist-dying technique in which the patterns are dyed and bound in threads to create the design on the loom prior to weaving. It is unlike any other ikat woven in the rest of the country because of its design process, which has been called “poetry on the loom”. It is a GI-tagged product since 2007.
Designed for sustainability, Krushi Bhawan has emerged as an example of how regional crafts can be integrated into a contemporary environment. The 1.3 lakh sq ft administrative centre features an expressive combination of regional materials and vernacular narratives.
This architectural marvel had won the People’s Choice award in the Social Good Category at AZ Awards 2020.
In February, it had bagged Surface Design Awards, 2020 in the categories of Public Building Exterior, Public Building Interior and Supreme Winner.
The Rs 70-crore project was commissioned in 2013 to Studio Lotus, a Delhi-based architectural firm, and opened to the public on September 20, 2018.
