Final Design Proposal
The final design combines the strongest ideas from the earlier interventions.
It includes:
Vertical reflective rods
Reflective and matte materials
Ground patterns that appear during rain or sunlight
Spatial elements spread across the site
Instead of creating one single installation, the design creates multiple small moments throughout the space.
As people move through the site like reflections shift, shadows change, views become fragmented, and the environment feels more interactive.
The design changes throughout sunny weather, overcast conditions, rain, and evening light. This makes the city feel dynamic and alive.
The project mainly uses polished steel, brushed metal, reflective surfaces, and absorptive matte materials. These materials respond differently to light reflective materials amplify surroundings, matte surfaces create contrast and depth. Rain also becomes part of the design because wet surfaces increase reflections naturally.
The second phase was site: I chose Ladakh because it sat at an intersection of things I cared about: a region with a rich cultural identity, a fractured political context, an extreme climate, and a real gap in educational infrastructure. I spent time understanding rammed earth and passive solar construction, the techniques SECMOL had developed there, because any building that ignored the -40°C winters or the 300 sunny days a year wasn't really a Ladakhi building.
The process started with extensive site observation through photography, sketching, filming, and documenting how light behaves across different weather conditions and times of day. Alongside this, user movement and behavioural mapping were conducted to understand how people interact with the site. The research revealed that the space functions primarily as a fast-moving transit corridor, where attention is often directed towards phones, conversations, or destinations rather than the surrounding urban environment.
The project was further informed by theories of atmosphere, perception, and public space from designers and artists such as Peter Zumthor and Olafur Eliasson. Their work helped shape the idea of using light as a sensory and emotional spatial tool rather than simply a visual condition.
A series of experimental interventions were developed across the site to test how reflection, shadow, materiality, and movement could influence urban experience. These included reflective kinetic elements, light corridors, shadow installations, and subtle reflective ground patterns. Each proposal explored different ways of creating surprise, interaction, and sensory engagement within the city.
The final design proposal combines reflective vertical elements with material interventions embedded within the ground plane. Using polished steel, matte finishes, and reflective surfaces, the installation responds dynamically to changing weather, sunlight, and rain. Rather than creating a single focal object, the project introduces a distributed system of moments that gradually reveal themselves as people move through the space. Reflections shift, shadows transform, and the environment continuously changes throughout the day, encouraging users to experience the city more consciously.
The project concludes that:
light, shadow, and reflection can become powerful spatial tools,
small interventions can completely change urban experience,
and people can reconnect with the city through sensory and atmospheric design.
Rather than using large architectural changes, the project uses subtle interventions to transform everyday movement into moments of awareness, curiosity, and engagement.