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Bengaluru-based Biome Environmental Solutions has designed the Swastika Dance Studio, which was to construct a dance and music studio as an intimate platform for the performing arts at a small scale, which would also serve as a venue for workshops and small events.

While constructing the project, the firm had to face the challenges of a multifunctional tight site and requirement. Partially sinking the building allows the dance studio’s double-height volume to be acoustically sound without  compromising on light and ventilation. It provides the soil to make stabilized mud bricks to build the structure as well.

A narrow skylight at the east and precast concrete ring windows create interesting light and shadows in the day. Additional light pours in through the common frontcourt, which connects all three levels of the studio and renders the spaces interactive during performances and events.

A staircase supported on a brick vault leads to the ground level, where the car parking area serves as a temporary waiting area. The solid central core of the staircase was made with mud rendered plum concrete using construction debris with aggregate and cylindrical openings, which forms the façade along with the West Indian elm tree at the entrance. A metal staircase takes up to the first level, which comprises a music studio, an outdoor platform, an office and a common washroom.

The music studio and platform are separated by full-height glazing, opening up to become a large performance space. The double-height open space is shaded by a sloping roof made of processed tetra pack corrugated sheets with a central skylight. Rainwater from the roof is harvested and reused for the studio’s requirements.

A gallery on the second floor looks over the performance area and leads to the guest suites for visiting trainers of dance, music and yoga. The three levels are vertically connected by a triple-height frontcourt that promotes lively interaction among the students in an open environment.