Temple Wall Nadiad, 2007

When a client bought a 20,000 sq. m plot as farmland away from the city, a very small, derelict temple to Shiva was discovered on the land. Although the idol was in good condition, the walls of the temple needed restoring.

We were asked to clad the temple walls in small marble sheets 8-10 mm thick.

We thought the new cladding should have its own identity. However, the budget was tiny. Our only choice was to design marble bands, alternately receding and flush. The banding, with the thickness of the marble creating variable shading as the day progresses, registers a subtle statement of the sun, a supreme universal force and divinity.

This simplicity and minimalism is carried throughout, to the corners and roof detailing.

Instead of cantilevering the roof – chhajja – in the traditional manner, we added a small band of another marble (green Kesariajee). Protruding bands of marble on the four walls, to the same dimension as the green band, create shadow and accentuate the transition of wall to wall and roof to sky.