Odisha’s Krushi Bhavan imbues a beautiful and powerful narrative of regional craftsmanship with stone carvings, metal screens displaying local myths through tribal crafts, agricultural calendars, and a rainwater collection system.
The eye-catching brick building, which is a government building in Bhubaneswar, was created by Studio Lotus and was influenced by the state’s mythology and agricultural folklore.
The Bhavan has a learning center, library, auditorium, public plaza, training rooms, and a public garden spread across an area of 1,30,000 square feet. The rooftop is accessible to the public to show off urban farming while the offices are on the upper floors.
Its creation was utterly committed to sustainability.
It has composters, solar panels, a rainwater collection system, and ventilators to keep the structure cool. It’s interesting to note that only 20% of the interior is air conditioned. While the double-skin facade method cuts heat by 60%, the structure has been built to offer 100% daylit interior spaces.
The Krushi Bhavan won the prestigious AZ Award in 2020 as the People’s Choice Winner. Additionally, The Bhavan received a high honour at the 2019 World Architecture Festival (WAF) Amsterdam awards.
Prasanta Patnaik