Mindspace Architects rebuild the Sai Spiritual Centre in Bengaluru in an avant-garde style, while carefully reinstating the nurtured ambience embodied by the original structure. When designers Sanjay Mohe and Amit Swain of Mindspace Architects took on the project to rebuild this temple, they were keen that the new structure be given a modern twist. At the same time it was crucial to ensure that the sanctity of the institution was not compromised.
The traditional shikhara was re-interpreted by splitting the uniform surface into a series of concrete peels and cladding it with glass mosaic tiles. The incorporation glass panes amidst the concrete bring in natural light inside the building. Traditional stone-carved walls were replaced by granite-cladded walls with simple horizontal bands to extend the contemporary style from the structure into the interiors. Another interesting element is the designers’ reinvention of the ‘Deepak Stambh’ or the lamp tower in the form of two slender quadrangular towers mounted on the roof. The use of bronze at the tips of the small lamp-like protrusions in the towers gives the impression of tiny flames.
