Keerthi Nair
Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies | Mumbai

Kinships systems usually form the basis of social organization in many developing countries.  Matrilineality is a form of kinship practiced in a few isolated communities around the world like the Akan tribe of Ghana, Khasi, Jaintias and Garo tribes of Meghalaya, Nairs and Menons of Kerala, cherokees of North America, and a few other tribes spread across Africa and south-east Asia. This differing social organization plays a vital role in family land use and land ownership rights. In this kind of social order, usually genealogy is traced through the female descendants. In Kerala, this kind of social order was abolished a few decades ago. Referred to as the Marrumakhathayam system, it essentially means that all the daughters in a family continue to live on the ancestral property and their children are provided for by the eldest brother. This system is not only vital for social organization but also for property rights and transmission and division of ancestral family land. 

The matrilineal form of kinship practiced by certain communities in Kerala till a few decades ago has had a lasting impact on spatial order and the structure of villages. The aim of this thesis is to create an economic model that would mutually benefit various classes of people by creating a socio-economic centre in the village which could also provide possibilities for its future growth.

PROGRAMS

The site chosen for this socio-economic spine is a plot of land juxtaposing a fallow paddy field. The attempt is for the Community Supported Agriculture co-operative to acquire the paddy land and to create the centre to support the agricultural process close-by. The plot of land consists of a coconut mill which is retained and the remaining programs are designed as a continuation of the existing use. The main program is an open market street, a place that would allow for a kind of barter to be conducted. The barter is not confined to an exchange of goods but also could be an exchange of services. Thus, a number of open, semi-open and private workshops are provided. The main building acts as a centre for administration primarily for the CSA co-operative but also as a village panchayat, thus acting as the administrative centre of the village. Finally, a rice processing mill is provided close to the paddy fields. 

The aim was to create an economic model to strengthen the inter-dependency between various classes for some form of mutual benefit.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

The program called for multiple spaces of public interaction. Hence the entire complex is designed with multiple access points from the main street and spaces that create opportunities for community gatherings. This is especially true for the village panchayat building. The entire ground floor of the panchayat is a community space, open for meetings and community gatherings. There is a direct connect between the paddy mill and the rest of the spine.