ARCH 672 - PROPOSITIONS + UD 732 STUDIO III
FALL 2024PROJECTS
Akshita Mandhyan, Virginia Bassily, Haley Cope - Thirupudaimaruthur Bird Conservation Reserve
Deepa Bansal, Jay Nakrani, Yi Min Tan - Water Memories
THE RIVER WHISPERS OF BIRDS, TREES, TEMPLES, AND THEIR PEOPLE
Nurtured by the perennial waters of the Tamiraparani River, the Tirunelveli District is a continental migratory bird corridor and a nesting colony for local aquatic birds. Every year, the bountiful monsoon redraws the fertile Tamiraparani riverbanks, with the historic temples and the sacred rituals as the memory markers of a landscape always in shift. This riverine ecosystem is also home to an endless constellation of small towns and villages that have historically cultivated and worshiped land and water and the many forms of life they sustain. Recognizing the distinctive socio-ecological values of these natural and cultural landscapes, the Thiruppudaimarudur Bird Conservation Reserve (TBCR), was created in 2005. As we approach its 20th anniversary, what can we learn about the impact of this designation to steward the natural and cultural heritage in these living landscapes?
This joint MArch+MUD studio section collaborated with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), a nonprofit organization committed to environmental education and the co-production of community-based socioecological knowledge. After initial research on the TBCR and the Tamiraparani River, we traveled to the Agasthyamalai Community Conservation Centre to conduct field work with ATREE, further documenting onsite conditions. Building on different aspects of ATREE's regional socioecological work, students co-developed a series of design strategies for an interpretation and landscape observatory contributing to the ongoing investigation of a regional eco-tourism initiative.