Forum
YANTRA: Infrastructures of the Sacred and Profane
Varanasi, India
The project by Vedhant Maharaj, a student of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits, South Africa), explores new methods for water purification infrastructure along the Ganges River in India.
A treatment plant on the Varanasi waterfront combines various water purification processes, from mechanical cleaning to natural filtration, to reduce pollution of the holy river. The buildings fit into the sociocultural, religious, and aesthetic context of the region and provide traditional washrooms and swimming pools – and they respond dynamically to the yearly monsoon flooding.