Coimbatore Center for Contemporary Art (CoCCA)

Building Strategy
Being a renovation project, the idea is to adapt to the existing conditions of site with minimum hindrance and minor alterations to save on cost and still make a Project by exposing the structural continuity of the spinning mill and reutilizing its spaces. The prime concern is to reutilize the existing structural system and create spaces within the sheds. One bay of shed treated as one Academic department / Workshop, to have clarity in functional division of space. All departments will be interconnected through bridges.

The Sheds will incorporate the proposed sections like a house within a house without touching the external fabric and being independent on one hand but still connected on the other.

Fully Pedestrian Axis
The 18 m wide entrance is intentionally kept free from any vehicular access to make it completely pedestrian for users as the main axis to the arts center, forming the ideal entrance. All services and vehicular access is through the side lane, segregating it from the pedestrian zones. Being Residential, It is important to make the center pedestrian friendly and free of noise & air pollution.

Structure
Use of light weight material like steel maximized, to avoid any extra load on the existing structure & minimize any breakage for the new construction.

Services
Services systems will reutilize the electrical and ventilation trenches, existing at site. Internal spaces will be well ventilated and achieve thermal comfort to avoid any extra cost of air conditioning as far as possible. The extended adjoining structures to the sheds will be reutilized for services and other amenities.

Natural light & Ventilation
Avoiding any direct heat and gaining natural light throughout the day by means of continuous strips of skylights proposed as an addition to the ridges of the sheds. These opening will also help in exhaust of hot air from above. There will be new openings to provide for access and natural light at necessary locations.

The Street
Student housing with mezzanine levels is planned on the edges of building blocks to take advantage of a complete façade for access and light. The comparatively narrow widths between the blocks help it in transforming into an intimate housing street full of activity and also well connected to the center.

The Cafeteria
The cafeteria is planned at the termination of the main axis through the Lobby. It acts as a connecting link of the formal academic spaces to the informal student activity areas. It will be serviced through the kitchen at the rear of the spinning block.