Rethinking the relationship between people and institutions through architecture: this is the challenge set by Studio Lotus for Krushi Bhawan, a public building in Bhubaneshwar, India.

The civic center combines the region's administrative offices with community spaces – library, gallery, auditorium, classrooms and workshops – located on the ground floor, while on the rooftops of the complex are gardens and urban farms where local farmers can share knowledge and practices.

The project is arranged to form a large central courtyard connected to a public square through a series of fluid and interconnected spaces, more intimate and welcoming hallways and porticoes.

Characteristic of the project is the use of local materials and techniques: over 100 craftsmen have been called upon to decorate the public spaces of the project and to materially represent the history and tradition of the region on an architectural scale.