Orproject, Christoph Klemmt, Rajat Sodhi, Haseb Zada, Sahya. Installation view at Palazzo Mora, 2016.

Sahya
Prototype
Sahya is the design for a communal shading structure intended for public spaces in hot climates. The creation of a comfortable outdoor environment encourages the public to gather, enjoy, and communicate. The exhibit is the first prototype to test and evaluate various characteristics of the system.
Shadow and Light
The design of Sahya is intended to create a shaded environment while still allowing the wind to pass through freely. The system allows views across in one direction while completely blocking them out in the other, so that it can be used, for example near a road, to focus the views in the other direction. Additionally the rippling effect of the wall system creates associations of cooling water or the feeling of a motion frozen in time.
The structure is intended to generate a place for communication in the urban environment. People are expected to gather, enjoy, and discuss the installation and engage in conversation.
As a first step in its realization, the construction of a prototype is required, especially in order to test the structural behavior as well as the physical effects of the wall system. The final structure is intended to reach a height of up to 5m and a length of 10m, while the initial prototype, a smaller part of the complete structure at the same scale, is at a height of 1.5m and a length of 2.5m.
Impact
The final project will directly impact the city where it is placed. It will create a space for gathering and communication for individuals as well as for the community where it is located. The prototype of it is a necessary first step in order to test the structure of the wall system as well as the possible impact that it can have on the people using it.
The project is also part of a larger research and creative agenda into the spatial and social effects that can be achieved with architectural installations in the urban environment. Orproject has constructed various temporary installations to investigate possibilities of place-making through computational design.