jessica.dian.reed

arch_520

spring 2011

This document is intended, as part of the thesis design

project, to critically analyze the role that architecture can

play in the interaction and possible mediation of cross-

cultural conflict. It describes certain assumptions based

on research, questions, and then applied exploration

of this role within a site that is the ultimate test for

an application of these ideas: the Kashmir Territory in

northern India.

FOREWORD

In contemporary society, there are instances of

intolerance that provoke cross-cultural conflicts.

Religious wars disrupt lives throughout Middle-Eastern

countries, Roma culture is excommunicated from

European nations such as France and Italy, and the

construction of Mosques and Muslim community centers

are protested throughout Europe and the United States.

These are just a few instances that plague our world

today. These conflicts are not architectural in nature,

yet they manifest opportunities in which architecture

can become a part of the cultural interaction and

mediation. The built environment can become a part

of cross-cultural conflict mediation as well as a physical

manifestation of peoples who have been systematically

oppressed by ignoring preconceived notions associated

with typology. It can provide programmatic elements

I. INTOLERANCE 3 / 4

that allow diverse people to interact in a peaceful and

honest way. The intent of this thesis design activity

is to pursue a mode of conflict mediation through

the implementation of an architectural solution by

integrating historical ideas, design precedents, as well as

explorations of site and programmatic activities.

In order to understand architecture as a physical

manifestation of people who are oppressed as well

as to facilitate peaceful cultural interaction, one must

first understand different approaches to conflict

mediation in general, as discussed from sociologists’

and psychologists’ perspectives. Bernice Lott argues

in her book entitled Multiculturalism and Diversity: a

Social Psychological Perspective that culture is a learned

behavior and that we are all multicultural individuals

by nature, essentially belonging to many groups with

different social values and norms based on our ethnicity,

gender, social class, and sexual orientation. These

multiculturalisms are also determined by our beliefs,

interests, and goals, and they thread together to form a

mosaic that creates our own self identities.1 Lott argues

that through the analysis of behavioral norms, there are

II. CONFLICT MEDIATION 5 / 6

common aspects that can associate peoples of different

races and ethnicities.2 Also, psychologist and author

Johan Galtung argues that culture inherently produces

marginalization of certain people, but that peace and

compromise can be found by analyzing the legitimacy

of the goals of each opposing side in terms of human

rights and basic needs, and then by finding and sharing

common practices among different people.3

Both Lott’s and Galtung’s ideas together suggest that by

finding a common aspect about each culture in conflict,

one can reach peaceful, cross-cultural awareness and

understanding. The question then arises as to what type

of activity facilitates this kind of peaceful interaction?

How can an activity react to a commonality between

conflicting cultures? Transportation, or the act of

travelling, functions as a programmatic activity that not

only accommodates a diverse range of people by uniting

them through a common purpose, but it also promotes

cross-cultural awareness by exposing opposing cultures

to one another in a peaceful manner.

Furthermore, the act of transportation is one that not

only accommodates local people on an everyday basis,

but also foreign tourists visiting an area to gain cultural

understanding. When one travels, one is most open and

vulnerable to cultural encounters of norms, customs,

and heritage. This vulnerability of exposure to other

cultures facilitates awareness and therefore a certain

level of understanding that allows one to become more

sympathetic to other cultures whose values are different

from his or her own.

7 / 8

The notion of travel as a catalyst for awareness has been

discussed by Mark Twain, in his book entitled Innocence

Abroad, which states the following:

The adventures detailed in Innocents Abroad

Twain’s own while travelling throughout Europe, the

Mediterranean, and parts of the Middle-East. It explicitly

illustrates the effects of travel on one’s perception of

other cultures as well as the positive consequences from

such an activity.

Another author who discusses the relationship between

travel and awareness is Alain de Botton, author of The

Art of Travel, Architecture of Happiness, and A Week

III. TRAVEL, TOURISM, AND AWARENESS

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these counts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the

earth all one’s lifetime.4”

at the Airport. In The Art of Travel, de Botton refers to

airplane travel:

De Botton eloquently and poetically argues here for

the necessity of travel, stating that it not only allows for

outside perspectives concerning our own lifestyles, but

also facilitates revelations that are necessary in order

to overcome cultural prejudices by distancing one’s self

from his or her everyday surroundings.

Architects Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio further

discuss tourism in their work entitled Back to the Front:

“Below us are enemies and colleagues, the sites of our terrors and our grief, all of them now infinitesimal, mere scratches on the earth. We may know this old lesson in perspective well enough, but rarely does it seem as true as when we are pressed against the cold plane window, our craft a teacher of profound philosophy and a faithful disciple of the Baudelairean command: Carriage, take me with you! Ship, steal me away from here! Take me far, far away. Here the mud

is made of our tears!5”

9 / 10

Tourisms of War.

Diller and Scofidio discuss tourism in relation to the

conflict of war in that both war and tourism each offer

experiences of different cultures.7 The authors describe

tourism as ‘non-war,’ forever linking the two entities by

association in that not only does war offer the soldier

experiences of other cultures, but also the everyday

person the experience of war, acknowledging that some

primary tourist destinations around the world contain

inherent history as being a battle site or the site of a

famous fallen hero.8 For example, the sunken U.S.S.

Arizona in Pearl Harbor is the most visited destination

in Hawaii due to its historical significance as a battle

“…tourism is defined by socio-economists as ‘the world’s peace industry’…Contemporary tourism accounts for the single largest peaceful movement of people across cultural

[areas] in the history of the world.6”

site.9 The soldiers who were stationed at Pearl Harbor

during World War II were offered an experience of the

Hawaiian culture; today, the site’s inherent quality as a

battle ground draws tourists to the area not only for a

different cultural atmosphere, but also an experience of

the effects of war.

Diller and Scofidio also discuss the notion of the

tourists’ search for the ‘authentic.’ According to Diller

and Scofidio, authentic experiences are validated within

spatial surroundings through the use of signage; the

place or artifact itself is not authentic to the tourist

without the signpost stating that it is so.10 This notion

of presenting an authentic cultural experience is

something that would have to be taken into account

during any design activity associating tourism and the

11 / 12

built environment not through the use of signage, but

through the architecture itself.

IV. MEDIATION AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

In the passages above, Mark Twain, Alain de Botton,

Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio all suggest that

travelling and tourism are peaceful industries, and

that they facilitate benefits in relation to cross-cultural

awareness, peaceful interaction and conflict mediation.

The question remains as to how the architect and the

architecture can become part of this mediation. Author,

professor, and architect Lisa Findley provides several

approaches in her work entitled Building Change:

Architecture, Politics, and Cultural Agency. Within

this book, Findley discusses the cyclical relationship

of politics, power, and architecture, and how these

separate entities have influenced one another through

several examples of recently completed projects. She

argues that it is not realistic to assume that architecture

can immediately address cultural conflicts at a large

13 / 14

scale; architecture itself does not have the ability to

stop terrorism, change people’s values, or end poverty.11

However, she states that the built environment does

have the ability to become a physical manifestation of

people that have been systematically invisible, and that

translating cultural complexities into built form gives

these people “depth, dimension, individuality, and spatial

solidity.12” Here, Findley is arguing that while architecture

itself cannot stop conflict, it can become a catalyst for

cultural change, which would be especially applicable

in combination with the integration of travelling and

tourism in a location that deals with conflict and clashing

ideals. Such a location exists in the region of northern

India known as the Kashmir Territory.

The Kashmir Territory is a disputed area of land that

shares borders with India, Pakistan, and China. Because

of its location at this junction, the territory has been in

a constant state of conflict since its accession to India

in 1949.13 Prior to this date, the area was a collection of

smaller territories owned by the wealthy Hindu Dogra

Leader, Gulab Singh, who purchased the small valley

of Kashmir from the British 1846.14 When India became

independent from Britain in 1947, Singh’s great-grandson

Maharaja Hari Singh was given the choice of either

becoming a part of India, joining with Pakistan, or

remaining an independent entity. The territory remained

independent for only two months before militants from

Pakistan began invading the territory from the north and

west borders. In an attempt to defend the territory, Singh

signed a hurried accession with India in exchange for

V. SITE 15 / 16

their protection from these militants.15 This territory, now

known as Jammu and Kashmir, has been in constant

conflict ever since, always in the middle of war between

Pakistan and India. Although the United Nations

issued a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in 1949,

violence resumes not only between the Indian and

Pakistani military, but also non-government militia, Islam

extremists, and civilian protesters.16

For the most part, the Kashmir territory resides under

Indian control through the states of Jammu, Ladakh, and

the actual valley of Kashmir, while the territory that lies

east of the valley as well as the plateau to the north is

known as Azad Kashmir, or ‘Free’ Kashmir, under Pakistani

control.17 The people who make up Jammu and Kashmir

are primarily Muslim, with Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and

Kashmiri people making up the minority.18 The current

conflict exists as a result of cultural differences between

the Hindu Indian leaders and predominantly Muslim

population. Muslim extremists have been accused of

violent massacres within the valley of Kashmir, and

Indian military personnel have been accused of the same

atrocities against Muslim protesters throughout the

territory, including accounts of rape involving Muslim

women. These ongoing conflicts have had a major impact

of the people of Kashmir, such as extended curfews, which

has further affected their industries and economy. Prior

to the territory’s accession to India in 1947, the area had a

booming tourism industry due to its beautiful landscape

of lakes, national parks, and the Himalayan mountain

range. Kashmir was known for its many outdoor activities

such as skiing, trekking, and boating, among others. This

market exists in some form today, but is shrouded by the

17 / 18

ongoing conflicts between Pakistan and India. Jammu

and Kashmir is an area that is difficult to reach due to

its remote location; if one were to venture into Kashmir,

the only ways possible are through a single railway

connecting northern India to Jammu, or by airplane

from Mumbai. Kashmir currently has three airports: one

located in the southern city of Jammu, one in Srinagar, the

northern city located in the disputed valley, and one in

the city of Leh, located in the eastern territory of Ladakh.

However, planes from Mumbai to Kashmir primarily go

through Jammu, and they only do so once or twice per

week.19 Both the positive and negative qualities of Jammu

and Kashmir, its constant state of conflict due to religious

and ethnic differences as well as its foothold in the

tourism industry, make it an ideal location to implement

the ideas previously discussed concerning architecture’s

role in conflict mediation and facilitating peaceful

interaction among people with a common purpose.

19 / 20

This relationship of conflict and tourism is an interesting

complexity that can be explored through an architectural

approach as a mode for cultural mediation. As stated

before, a programmatic element needed and used

by a wide variety of cultures is that of transportation.

The component of transportation not only fulfills a

necessity of many different people, but also allows

for peaceful interaction among people that require a

common purpose. Travelling and tourism in relation to

transportation also allow for cultural interaction among

people whom may not have otherwise experienced a

culture outside from his or her own.

In relation to Jammu and Kashmir, the idea of integrating

additional routes of transportation is a way of not only

allowing the people of both Muslim and Hindu heritage

to share in a common purpose peacefully, but also of

VI. PROGRAM

bringing outside tourists to the area and perhaps having

a positive effect on not only the tourism industry but

also the overall economy. A programmatic element

that applies the notions of transportation, travelling,

and tourism in a way that facilitates a peaceful mode

of cultural interaction is a train station. In Jammu and

Kashmir, a train station would be especially applicable

as opposed to another mode of transportation such

as an airport because the territory already has three

separate airports linking the three largest cities. Also, the

availability of train travel is more accessible and cheaper

for the everyday person to use in order to get from village

to village within the territory. Train travel also allows for

a more authentic experience of a place’s landscape for

the everyday user as well as the outside visitor in that it

is directly integrated with the surface of the earth. One is

21 / 22

more aware of a train’s speed and the essence of leaving

one place behind in pursuit of another. The train alludes

to the concepts of mobility and moving forward in a

way that is absent in airplane travel, through which one

is elevated into the clouds and is so far removed from

any distinguishable landmark that the sky experienced

is the same sky that one could experience elsewhere.

The connection to place and landscape is therefore lost

through the act of airplane travel. As stated previously,

Alain de Botton describes the benefits that airplane travel

allows, arguing that this act of distancing one’s self from

his or her everyday surroundings facilitates the revelations

necessary in order to view conflicting situations in a new

light. Train travel, with its comparable speed and ability

to traverse long distances, could allow for the same type

of revelations that de Botton refers to by distancing one’s

self from his or her immediate surroundings, retaining the

idea’s relevance in relation to transportation and

travelling as a vehicle for cultural awareness. The

implementation of a train station would also be more

appropriate than something like a bus station because

of the train’s degree of permanence; as stated before,

the train is directly integrated within the earth, it has an

inherent quality of representing something permanent

and substantial to which the automobile or the bus

cannot relate. This relationship to permanence also refers

back to Lisa Findley’s ideas in that the built environment

can provide a level of ‘spatial solidity’ to the people that it

represents.

The implementation of a train station design solution

in Jammu and Kashmir is necessary not only because it

has the best connection to the everyday people of the

23 / 24

area as well as potential tourists from elsewhere, but also

because there is a current lack of railway transportation

in the area. There is only one railway line through Jammu

and Kashmir, and it is disjointed due to the fact that it

has not been fully constructed. The lower segment of

the line has been in place for some time, yet the upper

portion of the railway was just completed in 2008.20 The

other two legs that unite these two lines are still under

construction, and there are not current plans in place to

expand the railway north, east, or west in relation to the

map shown. The construction of the railway system has

been difficult throughout Jammu and Kashmir not only

because of the ongoing conflicts and aggression by many

Muslim residents against any sort of Indian governmental

action, but also because of the terrain. The land area west

to the railway lines indicated on the map is an obstacle

because of the Pir Panjal Mountain range, while the area

to the east of the existing railway lines is obstructed by

the Himalayas. This topographical challenge would have

to be taken into account during any design activity that

may result either east or west of these landmasses.

The permanent nature of a railway and the train station

is also relevant in terms of how the train is regarded by

the people it transports. The existing railway system of

Jammu and Kashmir is used by the people as a form of

protest, in both peaceful and aggressive ways. The tracks

themselves have been used for various forms of sit-in

protests, while the stations have been a target for Muslim

protesters in their fight against the Indian occupation

not only in Kashmir, but throughout India. This could

be viewed as a potential challenge, but if the station

is designed in a way that disassociates itself from the

25 / 26

typological notion of ‘control,’ then the spaces would take

on the role of facilitator of cultural interaction rather than

that of violence.

This solution would need to accommodate the kinds of

activities that occur within a train station. These activities

will not only include boarding and exiting the trains, but

will also envelope a more integrated level of interaction

among the passengers that could be addressed in spaces

such as waiting areas, small shops, or a café. Other

necessary programmatic elements that would need to

be included are baggage claim areas, offices, a ticket

booth, and public restrooms. Another programmatic

function of the design solution could be some temporary

living quarters, such as an attached hotel, in order to

accommodate the current unorganized train schedules

inherent in Indian train travel. Trains are often delayed or

cancelled without much warning or reasoning given to

the passengers, so the addition of a hotel would help to

accommodate these instances.21

The current typology of a train station is that of a

rectangular building with a linear organization parallel to

the motion of the tracks. This has addressed the need for

the ability of the passengers to board and exit the trains

in a timely manner. Also, there is typically some sort of

vertical element, a clock tower for example, that stands

above its surroundings in order to denote the buildings

importance as a public space, as well as to make its self

known to the outside visitor. This typology could be

addressed in a way that the station could become a place

that facilitates cultural interaction in a conscious manner

rather than just responding to a functional need.

27 / 28

An additional programmatic element that would allow for

diverse interactions among different peoples would be

the integration of a bazaar, or market. A market serves as

an authentic experience of a culture, inherently possessing

qualities such as resources, local goods including place-

specific clothing and foods, as well as local crafts and

trades. The general organization of a market also allows

freedom of movement and interaction among different

peoples, including tourists, students, as well as residents

from different backgrounds. Some markets also exude

the essence of spontaneity and free-flowing movement;

these qualities make it an interesting and unexpected

juxtaposition against the somewhat opposite inherent

qualities of a typical Kashmiri train station, that of being

extremely rigid and secure.

There are several design precedents that can be studied

in regard to transportation as well as the idea that

architecture can become a physical manifestation of

people in that it provides spatial solidity. The World Trade

Center (WTC) Transportation Hub designed by Santiago

Calatrava is currently under construction in lower

Manhattan, located at the base of the Freedom Tower,

also currently under construction. This transportation hub

will act as a bus terminal as well as a junction between

thirteen New York subway lines.22 The design of the

building has ignored the typical typology of a New York

subway station in that it is monumental; the form stands

out from its surroundings and does not blend in with the

streetscape in the way that other subway entrances do

throughout the city. Also, the form extends above ground

and is made up of exposed steel framework and glass,

VII. PRECEDENTS 29 / 30

which is completely opposite from the design of other

subway station entrances within the city. When one exits

a subway train within the WTC transportation terminal, he

or she is immediately exposed to the sunlight, skies, and

buildings towering above in the centralized terminal. This

contradicts the traditional mode of exiting the subway

in that normally one is deposited onto an underground

platform and then funneled through a tight stairway

immediately onto the street. Also, the conceptual form

designed by Calatrava was influence by an abstraction of

a dove being released; this abstraction was considered in

relation to the attacks that occurred on September 11th,

2001, in that it was a direct response to the symbolism

of hope that the construction of the Freedom tower

represents.23

Another project that could influence the decision

making process during a design activity concerning

the relationship of architecture to peaceful interaction

and peaceful solidity is the Museum of Struggle in New

Brighton, Port Elizabeth, South Africa designed by Neoro

Wolff Architects. New Brighten endured under the rule

of apartheid government from 1948 until 1994, in which

time blacks were excommunicated from the city center,

forced to live in a township outside from the community,

only allowed in certain parts of the city during certain

parts of the day, and not allowed into cultural institutions

such as museums. Once this regime fell in 1994, blacks

were allowed into these major cultural facilities, and

the newly established government almost immediately

commissioned museums to display and educate the

people about the horrors and prejudices that blacks were

subjected to during this time period. The Museum of

31 / 32

Struggle was completed in 2005, and became a symbol

of solidity for the people still living in the separate

township. The architect sought to challenge the typology

of a museum as a white institution and a symbol of the

oppression that was endured by the current occupants.

The museum therefore resembles more the typology of

a factory, in relation to its industrial history within the

community, and also to have a more familiar connection

to the people that it symbolizes. The use of materials also

reflects this relationship to the existing community in that

the architect used typical cement board and corrugated

metal, the same materials that make up the small, one-

story dwellings within its surroundings, in a beautiful way

and as a conscious choice rather than because it was all

that was available.

The organization of the museum does not follow any

sort of pattern; the interior layout is comprised of several

‘memory boxes’ that contain separate exhibits. These

are not organized chronologically and do not enforce

strict movement through space. The architects did not

want to exercise any sort of control over the occupant,

but rather wanted to allow the viewer to wander freely

through the exhibits and experience them in his or her

own way. Therefore, not only do the form and materials

implemented within the design for the Museum of

Struggle respond to its surroundings as well as the people

that it represents, but also the interior organization.

Although this precedent does not relate to this thesis

proposal programmatically, the ideas that the Museum

of Struggle embodies concerning form, material, and

organization in becoming a physical manifestation of

the people it represents and an honest portrayal of a

33 / 34

culture is relevant to this project, and these ideas can be

implemented within this potential design solution.

35 / 36

VIII. CHALLENGE

The built environment can and should become a part

of cross-cultural conflict mediation as well as a physical

manifestation of peoples who have been systematically

oppressed by ignoring preconceived notions associated

with typology and by providing programmatic elements

that allow diverse people to interact in a peaceful and

honest way. The intent of this thesis design activity is

to pursue a mode of conflict mediation through the

implementation of an architectural solution by integrating

historical ideas, design precedents, as well as explorations

of site and programmatic activities. The ideas of Bernice

Lott and Johan Galtung have influenced thinking on

conflict mediation, while writers Mark Twain, and Alain

de Botton as well as architects Elizabeth Diller and

Ricardo Scofidio have all contributed ideas concerning

the importance of travel and tourism with regard to

raising cultural awareness. Lisa Findley also contributes

ideas concerning the built environment at the heart

of all of these solutions, stating that architecture can

become a catalyst for cultural change. All of these ideas

could greatly contribute to the current cultural conflicts

present in Jammu and Kashmir by manifesting into

the form of a train station that could facilitate a mode

of honest cultural interaction through the peaceful

activities of transportation, travelling, and tourism.

This implementation hopes to not only contribute to a

brighter future for the people within Jammu and Kashmir,

but also to influence world-wide views of cultural conflict,

awareness, and understanding.

37 / 38

DESIGN I FURTHER RESEARCH

Design work for this project commenced with additional

research involving the nature and location of the conflict

in the area as well as the nature and location of existing

train stations throughout Kashmir, which would both

affect the train station element of the program. Another

component of this research portion included the nature

and location of resources and trades in the area, which

would affect programmatic element of the market.

This research also led to, and allowed for, a clearer

definition of site. The small urban area of

Sopore, located approximately 25 kilometers northwest of

the summer capital of Srinagar, was chosen due to its

proximity to the heart of the major conflicting areas

within the region. Other contextual influences that led

to this site selection were the location of several major

schools within Sopore; it contains both boys and girls

highschools, as well as a degree college. The interaction

of this project with these schools is important for

two main reasons. The first is that the primary users

of the Kashmir railway are students commuting from

smaller villages. The second reason is that the primary

demographic that is responsible for the civilian uprising

within Kashmir are the younger, college-level adults. This

notion directly ties the train station to the existing

conflict within Kashmir, and creates opportunities

for exposure and awareness of these issues to those who

would be visiting the area as tourists.

39 / 40

17 / 18

SRINAGAR SHOOTINGS

SRINAGAR BOMBINGKULGAM MASSACREDODA MASSACRE

NADIMARG MASSACRE

QASIM NAGAR MASSACRESRINAGAR SHOOTINGSKISHTWAR MASSACRECHALWALKOTE MASSACREAMARNATH MASSACRECHITISINGPURA MASSACRE

KARGIL WARWANDHAMA MASSACRE

SANGRAMPORA MASSACRE

PAHALGAM TOURISTS

SOPORE MASSACRE

GAWAKADAL MASSACRE

17 / 18

Various train station conditions throughout

Kashmir.

Various market goods and conditions throughout

Kashmir.

43 / 44

DESIGN I EXPLORATION

While exploring how to support the thesis argument that

the built environment can become a part of cross-cultural

conflict mediation, there were three main questions that

I asked myself. Each of which tries to ascertain different

yet supplementary ways of exploring what the built

environment can do in the realm of conflict mediation.

This was explored through researching and analyzing local

cultural patterns, that of both Muslim and Hindu origins.

After studying these patterns, there was a clearly defined

repetitive shape, that of an elongated diamond. This

exploration led to the notion that these patterns could be

extruded three-dimensionally and become clearly defined

circulation elements and occupiable spaces. This was then

used, not as a driving conceptual force, but as a simple

HOW CAN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT SOLIDIFY OR EMBODY A CULTURE THAT HAS BEEN SYSTEMMATICALLY INVISIBLE?

organizational tool as well as a basis for the design of the

station and market spaces.

Another exploration intended to analyze how the built

environment can solidify or embody a culture began

with the previously mentioned research concerning local

trades of Kashmir. Kashmiri craftsmen are renowned for

their intricate wood carvings, usually made of walnut

and used in interior ceiling applications. This activity

was translated into the station’s overall enclosure. The

main structure was conceived as a monolithic wooden

black that was hollowed out to allow for occupation, and

then carved away in strategic moments in order to focus

and enhance certain views from the interior. The wood

form appears monolithic from the main entrance point,

oriented in relation to the Sopore Degree College, yet is

open and revealed to the opposite side.

45 / 46

The security presence within Kashmir at the present time

as well as the near future is inevitable. Indian security

forces are going to exist in the area, so the challenge was

to implement a suggestion that takes the focus away from

the security occupation yet still allows it to operate.

One way that this was executed was through spatial

organization. The security office that services the train

station is located adjacent to the café, creating tension by

not only juxtaposing the programs themselves, but also

the users. Also, the main market spaces located on the

south end of the site are oriented in such a way to act as

a ‘filter,’ facilitating freedom of movement throughout by

people coming and going in multiple directions.

HOW CAN ONE FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN SECURITY AND FREEDOM THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BUILT

FORM?

Another application of this notion was through specific

moments of view. The entire station is elevated in order

to enhance visitors’ experience of the surrounding

Himalayan mountains, the market activity below, the

street activity below, as well as the distant street view of

the site where the massacre occurred in Sopore in 1993.

Allowing for this view of the massacre site was also critical

due to the fact that the violence occurred in a pre-existing

market setting.

Views from the security office also enhanced the notion

of balancing security by allowing for views of the train

platform below, views of the market and street activity

that are separate from that of the other users, as well

as views of the college grounds. This specific view is the

only one oriented towards the college and is spatially

oriented within a longer term waiting are for use of the

47 / 48

train station. This allows the security to exist in a more

unobtrusive way by placing the hierarchy on the visitors

and residents using the space.

A primary social space within India as well as Middle

Eastern countries related to the other occupants of

Kashmir is that of the street. The street was directly

strung through the heart of the station, and manipulated

in relation to the market and the platform to try to

make their boundaries less distinct and the spaces

more synonymous. The street is not only an essential

component within historical market settings associated

with these cultures, but it also facilitates civilian protests

within the region. By enveloping the street within

the design, these occasions and issues become more

HOW CAN THIS PROJECT FACILITATE SOCIAL INTERACTION THAT INCREASES AWARENESS OF AND IS SENSITIVE TO THE

CURRENT STATE OF KASHMIR?

apparent to the users.

Another space within the design that helps to facilitate

these types of interactions is the open departure platform.

The platform was conceived as a plaza, where additional

market activities could occupy in addition to people

boarding and exiting the trains. This space not only allows

for this mix of different peoples and agendas, but also

encourages the occupant waiting for the train, who may

be a tourist to the area, to be immersed within the market

and open to the immediate surroundings through the

open market stalls.

One other application of this notion of social interaction is

the orientation of the café and waiting area. These spaces

are intended for both residents and tourists in need of

a space to stay that is more sheltered than the platform

49 / 50

for extended lengths of time. These spaces are elevated

in a hierarchical way to celebrate the intention of these

interactions as well as to facilitate the important views

previously described.

Context map of Sopore.

Site diagram showing contextual influence; public

voids set back from street edge.

51 / 52

Market level floor plan.

Lower level floor plan.

Upper level floor plan.

53 / 54

TOURISTSTUDENT

RESIDENT

CAFE

CIRC

ULATI

ON

TOURISTINFORMATION CENTER

PERMANENT MARKET SPACESSECURITY OFFICE

WAITING AREA

SPONTANEOUS MARKET SPACES

MARKET ACTIVITY

HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS

MASSACRE SITE

DEGREE COLLEGE

TRAIN PLATFORM

MARKET ACTIVITY

1 2

43

Wood form development diagram showing 1.

monolithic form, 2. made occupiable and elevated to

focus views, 3. tilted as a response to local vernacular and climate, and 4. carved to

reveal specific views.

Circulation diagram showing the mix of different user types.

Volume diagram showing relationship of ‘secure’ to ‘free’

spaces.

View diagram showing significant orientations.

Extruded three-dimensionally.

Cultural Pattern abstraction: initial layer.

Linear components become circulation elements.

Repetitive shapes become occupiable spaces.

55 / 56

PERSP. 2

After exploring the questions outlined prior to these

design activities and reflecting on the execution of these

assumptions, the resulting conclusion boils down to a

few hard realizations. The issue represented here is a lot

bigger and more complex than something that can be

solved by an architectural solution. However, with that in

mind, there are implementations that can occur that start

to get at the heart of the conflict and become simply a

catalyst for change.

By seeking to spatially solidify a culture that has been

systematically oppressed, by facilitating a different type

of social interaction that exposes these people and issues

to others, and by exploring the tension and balance

of freedom and security in a conscious and critical way,

the built environment can become a part of cross-cultural

conflict interaction and mediation.

CONCLUSION 59 / 60

1

2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11

12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22

23

Bernice, Lott, Multiculturalism and Diversity: a Social Psychological Perspective (Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2010), 7.

Ibid, 8.

Johan, Galtung, “The TRANSCEND Method in conflict mediation across levels: Conflict literacy and competence as a n approach to peace” European Psychologist 15, no. 2 (2010), 84.

Mark, Twain, The Innocents Abroad (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1911), 407.

Alain, de Botton, The Art of Travel (New York: Pantheon Books, 2002), 5.

Elizabeth, Diller and Ricardo Scofidio, Back to the Front: Tourisms of War (New York: Princ-eton Architectural Press, 1994), 24.

Ibid, 20.

Ibid, 27.

Ibid, 28

Ibid, 28.

Lisa, Findley, Building Change: Architecture, Politics, and Cultural Agency (New York: Rout-ledge, 2005), 29.

Ibid, 34.

Victoria, Schofield, Kashmir in Conflict: India, Pakistan, and the unending War (New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 2003), xi.

Ibid.

Ibid.

Ibid.

Ibid.

Ibid.

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IMAGE SOURCES