From the beginning it was clear that water holds an important role in the life and culture of
India. Through the various historical mappings of the site it was clear that this importance was
once celebrated along the Chandni Chowk, but with the various cultural and technological
changes to the area, water has lost its importance. Throughout this project and architectural
intention, the intention is to once again highlight the importance of water and bring through
layers of the site’s history through the celebration of water. Research of the water in India
began at the scale of Delhi, moving to the scale of Shahjahanabad and then finally looking at the Chandni Chowk directly. The various water interventions, past and present, were mapped and developed a constellation throughout the city. This linked to the precedent of the 700
Playgrounds in Amsterdam and how these small interventions began to infiltrate the city and
create a network. Through this architectural intervention, located in the Delhi Public Library, a
network of water passages and usages begins to form throughout the Chandni Chowk and
highlights the importance of water through the collection, filtration, and usage. The Delhi Public
Library was proposed to expand into an educational hub, extending the teaching abilities of the
library and college already located on the site, and including a large water filtration system. The
building was proposed to have a floor addition to the southern building to accommodate for
the added program of the water filtration system as well as an expansion of the library. The
program also included the addition of the an exterior auditorium space to allow for learning to
extend into the exterior courtyard, various additional social and studying spaces, and
horticulture programs linking to the historical Mughal gardens that used to occupy this area.