A Pearl Within Its Salt Shell

As part of the ambitious Dandi Kutir Museum project, a monumental tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, Atelier dada collaborated closely with SPCL, under the guidance of CEPT University and its Department of Architecture and Urban Planning. Atelier dada’s mission focused on the lighting design of the lobby, conceived as a meaningful threshold and an invitation into the museum’s narrative. The lighting of the main exhibition galleries was entrusted to another lighting design firm, while Atelier dada assumed a supervisory role, overseeing the coherence and implementation of their designs from study phase through project delivery.

The architectural vision of the museum was built around the idea of an inner volume, a “pearl” held within a monumental salt shell. In response to this concept, the lighting design for the lobby was developed to gently reveal the architecture without dominating it. Light subtly enhances the curved wooden wall, the metal structure and the conical elements, creating an atmosphere of calm refinement and spatial clarity.

Working in close coordination with the CEPT team, Atelier dada supported the client at every stage of the project, ensuring that each lighting decision resonated with the overall vision of Dandi Kutir. From preliminary studies to on-site supervision, this involvement guaranteed a coherent execution and a seamless handover, where light serves both architecture and meaning with precision and restraint.