Spaces for People: Democratic Public Hubs and Social Architecture
Architecture is a conversation with the city. Whether crafting a public park or an urban social hub, we believe spaces should remain democratic, fostering genuine community connection rather than exclusion.
A visit to Freedom Park in Bengaluru, the site of the former Central Jail that we redesigned. The park is now a living public space, used by the community for leisure, reflection, and cultural events.
Our design for Biergarten in Bellandur embraces its urban setting, with open balconies overlooking the flyover and metro line. We turned the city's infrastructure and traffic into a dynamic backdrop for social gathering.
The atmosphere at Biergarten at night, where light projections and a central fountain create a playful and energetic environment, turning the brewery into a vibrant urban courtyard.
Bob's Bar was designed to evoke the relaxed, conversational spirit of old Bangalore. The black and white visuals highlight the classic interior design, where the focus is on creating a comfortable vibe for friends and family.
A glimpse of another microbrewery project under construction. The design works with the surrounding urban fabric, including the adjacent flyover, to create a unique spectacle that engages with the city's energy.
This collage from an Elle Decor feature includes an image of Freedom Park, showcasing how we transform sites with difficult histories into open, democratic public spaces.
About Spaces for People: Public Parks & Social Hubs
Designing a social hub amidst the bustle of Bengaluru requires embracing the city rather than shielding oneself from it. At venues like Biergarten, we purposefully oriented balconies toward the flyover, transforming traffic and movement into a dynamic backdrop for conversation, proving that seclusion is not the only way to find peace in an urban environment.
We approach public architecture as a duty to the city. Our process begins by listening to a site's history and observing how people already occupy the space before we draw a single line. This is why Freedom Park, built on the site of the former Central Jail, feels like a living public space rather than a static monument; we chose to keep the scars of the past visible while planting new opportunities for leisure and reflection.
The Democratic Ideal
True public spaces must be accessible. When we design commercial venues like Byg Brewski or Biergarten, we think of them as urban courtyards. We integrate elements like central water bodies or stepped seating not just for aesthetic appeal, but to create a 'social hub' logic where the building facilitates interaction among strangers.
Designing with the City
We do not seek to silence the city. We work with its infrastructure—metro lines, flyovers, and traffic—to ground our projects in the reality of Bengaluru. This context-driven approach ensures that our master planning and landscape design feel like natural extensions of the neighborhood, whether we are working on high-footfall institutional campuses or heritage markets.
Our Approach to Public & Commercial Space:
- Heritage Integration: Transforming forgotten or neglected historical sites into functional, public-facing areas.
- Urban Courtyard Planning: Utilizing layout and massing to encourage social interaction in commercial settings.
- Contextual Orientation: Designing views and circulation that engage with the surrounding neighborhood rather than turning away from it.
- Material Honesty: Prioritizing stone, concrete, and metalwork that ages gracefully alongside the city.
Mathew and Ghosh
I am Soumitro, and alongside Nisha, we have spent three decades watching Bengaluru evolve. We do not just build structures; we create settings for conversations, where the history of a site and the pulse of the city meet.
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