Tree of Knowledge
Knowledge is the driving force behind any form of evolution since time immemorial. Humans owe all their progress to knowledge. Even after all the advancements of man, nature has remained the same. Nature thus becomes the basic category to juxtapose and compare human actions. In the present age of technology when humans have over utilised the natural resources and created a concrete jungle, it is important to remind the world about the Mother Nature; raw, frugal and contextual. Establishing a connection between nature and humans through the medium of knowledge is the concept behind our design.
There are 3 primary needs of a human; food, clothing and shelter. Only after attaining them he strives for knowledge. In nature, tree is an entity which provides all of them and drives a person to attain knowledge. In most of the cultures worldwide, tree has been linked to knowledge. In India, tree has been an integral part of the culture. People worship the Peepal tree. Banyan tree has been a learning centre in the ancient gurukuls (residential schools) of India. Even now in the rural areas it is used for classes, community meetings (panchayat) and acts as an active social space. In Hindu philosophy, it signifies knowledge. Its roots emerge from the branches and spread out to the ground signifying spreading of knowledge. Its openness from all sides signify knowledge for all. Our design aims to conserve this notion of the ancient knowledge space. The manifestation of this knowledge space is in the form of a library based around the Banyan tree. Covered by a transparent glass membrane, the space is visually accessible to everyone. The openness of the tree is translated in the built form by access from all sides. This prototype serves ideal for a rural space transforming into urban.
