Jaffna Cultural Centre

JCC is the prime facility for culture and the arts in the city of Jaffna. It is a gift from the Government of India, and was conceived as a place of reconciliation in the immediate aftermath of the ending of the civil war. ARCHITECTURAL STATEMENT JCC is a contemporary architectural statement, yet deeply inspired by the architectural traditions of the region, including its temple architecture and the Jaffna Public Library next door. COMPETITION The Design was selected via a Competition conducted by the SLIA in association with the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka. COMPONENTS: Cultural Museum/Gallery Auditorium/Theatre Learning Facility Public Square & Urban Waterfront PUBLIC SQUARE The brief was expanded by the architects to introduce a Public Square and a public waterfront, creating a prime public/cultural space for the city. CONTEXTUAL RESPONSE The primary contextual/site response was defined by deference to the Jaffna Public Library (JPL), the revered but much smaller cultural icon on the adjoining site, by: -Placement: pulling back our building to observe continuity of the built edge of JPL, and continuing the formal garden of JPL across the frontage of JCC and -Continuity: creating a colonnade which observes the scale, rhythm and materiality of the older JPL, and positioning the contrasting new steel, glass and timber museum building behind (and separated from) it. MASTER PLANNING As part of the Architects’ master planning proposals, a road flanking the Pullukulam lake was pedestrianized and an urban public waterfront was created.