CONCEPT OF THE 'TOTA'
"The gardens, Buchana notes, "are extensive, and divided into square plots separated by walks, the sides of which
are ornamented with fine cypress tress. The plots are filled with fruit tress,
and pot-herbs. The Mussalman fashion is to have a separate piece of ground
allotted for each kind of plant. Thus one plot is entirely filled with rose
tress, another with pomegranates, and so forth."
(Francis Buchana, A journey from Madaras through the countries of Mysore, Canara, and Malabar 1970, Vol. 1, 79)
SITE
Located in Bangalore, India, this city is called 'Garden City in India'. This site is a
part of the North Corridor, 50km, alongside National Highway #7. Yellahanca is the satellite city of
Bangalore. This site (approximately 28km2) is intersected by two
valleys and two big national highways, and is met by the urban and agrarian
patch. It has potential to revive the extinct Indian garden because this site
is associated with the Indian's cultural condition, complicated urban
condition, and natural condition.
The main intent of this project is the revival of extinct TOTA that is the garden
of the economic plants, as a botanical garden. The design approach consists of three
steps of figuration: the agrarian and urban patch, calibration of bunds (old
Indian embankment to irrigate fields associated with the Monsoon season), and the
wet and dry garden. Also, this project has introduced how to set up these
elements in the large urban scale, and how to make the scenario of the
infrastructure in landscape and urban design.
Furthermore, adapting to the current situations from the existing four TOTAs (kitchen
garden, betel-leaf garden, coconut garden, and flower garden), I have
designated new four TOTAs: Fruit, Vegetable & Spice, Flower, and the
experimental TOTA, as well as a new market and neighborhood field through the
North Corridor and Yellahanca. Following the concepts of new TOTAs and the wet
and dry garden, this botanical garden has new formulation of TOTA for
composition and reemergence.
PROGRAM
The landscape program and goal of this site are intended to reach out to the
neighborhood of Yellahanca and the North Corridor, as well as to sustain the
influx of the market and botanical garden users. As a botanical garden for
economic plants, this garden has four TOTAs and a market with the bund system.
Depending on the wetness and dryness by topography, the planting program has
various heights in each TOTA. In particular, the Experimental TOTA, that is
located on a potential area, introduces and acclimatizes new plants for the
economic botany. The botanical garden is the framework to intricate with cultural,
economic, ecological conditions in Bangalore.
Yellahanca is the city without the consistency of other urban and natural conditions. The
garden and the bund systems are transformed by the existing urban and agrarian
patch. This project can produce the guideline of the large-scale urban design
as the structure for the future urban design and landscape.
DESIGN STRATEGY
The purpose of this project is to revive and to set up the condition for the endangered TOTA. This process has been
started to explore the wetness and dryness. Bangalore's climate is influenced
by Monsoon, and the city is located on the higher altitude than other areas.
That is why Bangalore has many bunds to irrigate fields. In particular, this
site has two intersected valleys, and is enclosed by four water tanks.
Following on investigating geographical feature and agrarian and urban patches,
it has molded calibration lines and basic design formation. The next process is
that these foundations match to the existing urban contexts. As doing this
step, the process has improved genuine organization. Finally, these elements-dry,
irrigated, and set gardens-have been reemerged as the TOTA.
From the past to the contemporary city, I have dealt with the broad scope of the urban context, as well as
creating a design strategy associated with cultural, economic, and ecological
elements dedicated to the community. I introduced a new typology of the market
structure and TOTA botanical garden which can be a crucial infrastructure in
Bangalore. This development was highly innovative, cultural, and organized in a
large proportion of new open space.
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