T__M.space tops sinuous pavilion in New Delhi with green roof

The latest Dezeen Exclusive reveals the inaugural Aranyani Pavilion in New Delhi, a curving green-roofed structure that was designed by architecture studio T__M.space to host discussions on ecology.

Named Sacred Nature, the spiralling, undulating pavilion opened in the Sunder Nursery park today, where it will remain until 13 February.

It is the first annual Aranyani Pavilion commission, which was launched by nature restoration and arts organisation Aranyani to facilitate conversations on the environment.

T__M.space created the fluidly shaped pavilion with a planted roof that rises and falls as it spirals round with the aim of connecting visitors with nature.

The curving form guides people to a large stone housed in an oval-shaped room at the centre of the pavilion, intending to evoke the feeling of walking through one of India's sacred groves, where stone markers have symbolic meaning.

Indian design practice Ekarth Studio created this lattice room from Lantana camara, a type of shrub that is invasive in India and contributes to the deterioration of the country's forest ecosystems.

On the roof, over 40 native plants were planted, including those that are edible, medicinal and hold cultural significance.

"By bringing invasive and native species into conversation, we hope to create space for local and international dialogue on how we might restore not only ecosystems, but the relationships that sustain them," said Aranyani founder Tara Lal.

"We are living through a moment where the distance between people and the natural world has never been greater," Lal continued. "So many of our ecological crises are rooted in colonial histories and systems that separated us from land, from Indigenous knowledge, and from one another."

"The Aranyani Pavilion is an invitation to repair that rupture, to experience ecology not as abstraction but as something we walk through, feel, and belong to," she said.

During its residency at Sunder Nursery, the pavilion will host performances, talks and workshops.

Afterwards, it will be permanently relocated to the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls' School in Jaisalmer, and the edible and medicinal plants on the roof will be shared with community-led environmental initiatives in Delhi.

In other pavilion news, Mexican studio Lanza Atelier was recently announced as the designer of this year's Serpentine Pavilion in London, releasing visuals of a sinuous brick structure. In an interview with Dezeen, the studio said the Serpentine commission came as a "very overwhelming" surprise.

The photography is by Lokesh Dang.

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