Nestled in the old-world charm and mystique of the lush green heritage hub of Mehrauli in Delhi, 1AQ is an unrivaled and illustrious art gallery experience never seen before in the city. This erstwhile age-old residential property stood in a severely dilapidated condition reduced to a run-down garage for a fleet of vintage cars. It raised an urgent need for preservation and a relevant adaptation to modern lifestyle. Conservation and revival of such heritage spaces call for a fresh perspective making adaptive reuse the perfect way to breathe new life into an old building, while conserving resources and historic value.
Wanting to preserve his ancestral property and being a cognoscenti of the art world, the client envisaged 1AQ as an amalgamated space open to creative individuals aimed to present the newest ideas in the contemporary Indian and international art space.
Working on this client brief and building a harmony between design and sustainability, RMDK Architects beautifully transformed this property into a creatively inspiring art venue as an extension of the lucrative tourist hub of the city, where both the locals and foreigners’ throng.
The ideas for restoration of the property were deeply seated in strategic structural and landscape innovation. This project raised an interesting challenge due to the stringent heritage bye-laws and a relentless desire for an avant-garde design. Since any demolition or new construction wasn’t allowed, the existing structures were re-strengthened and played around with to design a completely new spatial language. The whole space has been designed as a flexible and transformative place mimicking the dynamic nature of the desired audience and the functionality of the space.
The property has been re-visualized as a cozy and modern introverted space with a well-preserved sense of heritage and culture, reclaiming all the original artifacts found at the site. The modern entrance to the property has been redesigned with a huge sundial inlaid on the floor flanked by four original Lutyens’ era columns on its side symbolizing time and restoration. The entire space within has been designed around the concept of creating focal nodes that act as visual and physical guiding factors.
Special attention was paid to the landscaping with a meticulous diffusion of subtle yet intricate detailing across the property ensuring easy usage and functionality of the softscape. The thriving foliage at the site initially presented with a perplexing predicament with a century old banyan tree sitting at a prominent location. Appearing as a major obstruction, the tree was later converted into the main focal point of the entire landscape. Being one of the biggest visible elements, movement within the property is guided and pivoted around this very tree making it a highlight of the entire area and a favorite spot among all users alike. The final design also preserves the majority of existing tress within the property with selected re-plantation of a few valueless, fast growing trees at various locations.
An innate understanding by the architects of the need for a seamless functional transformation as a basic requisite for a successful exhibit and gallery area makes 1AQ the only private gallery of its kind in Delhi. Incorporating free flowing flexible spaces inside, there is a possibility of having an expansive choice for indoor and outdoor display. The interiors were kept extremely minimal with movable partitions to facilitate a diverse range of potential variations for future exhibition displays. As a result, this unique gallery easily transforms its character with slight changes in the lighting, layout and colors making it a favored spot among the exhibitors.
Owing to restricted re-construction constraints, cubical glass bay windows were built around the structure to ensure a smooth flow of the interior gallery into the exterior garden. This created a flexible connective space to be used for sitting and strategic exhibit placement placing it at par with the global standard of design.
While restoring the original structure, modern amenities were integrated without affecting the building’s structural or aesthetic integrity. Though strengthened with additional girders and structural members, the structure initially lacked the voluminousness of an elite gallery. This was rectified through creation of a system of vault ceiling to achieve maximum heights making it look more spacious and chicer.
Today, the gallery is known to hold various national and international conventions and events across various art genres including fine arts, photography, fashion, design and music and has carved a distinct niche for itself at a global platform. Thus, with a simple vision and minimal intervention the place has been successfully revived to its full glory. Extending and forging a strong contextual and visual relationship with daily life nostalgia and vital art expressions, 1AQ is undoubtedly a remarkable example of re-purposing and restoration.
Location - 1AQ, Mehrauli, Delhi Photography - Saurabh Suryan, Lokesh Dang
