“The City as a Living Archive”
A city is more than its buildings. It is shaped by its river, its people, its memories, and the stories that continue to unfold every day. Join us for an immersive exploration of Patna through the lens of the Ganga and discover how the river shaped the city—and how the city continues to reshape the river.
Patna’s identity has always been inseparable from the Ganga. For centuries, the river has shaped the city’s settlements, culture, livelihoods, and public life. As the city has expanded, it has also transformed the river’s edge, ecology, and relationship with its people.
This edition of Arcause Spotlight invites participants to read Patna as a living archive—one where natural systems, everyday practices, and urban transformations reveal valuable lessons on heritage, change, and responsible design.
Aim
- Understand how the Ganga shaped the growth and identity of Patna.
- Learn to observe cities through ecological, cultural, and urban lenses.
- Explore how urbanisation has transformed the river over time.
- Collaboratively document observations using digital tools.
- Contribute to a collective archive celebrating Patna’s evolving landscape.
Ar. Surya Prakash Rana
Founder | Studio Sthala
Meet the Expert
Ar. Surya Prakash Rana is the Founder of Studio Sthala, an architectural practice based in Patna, with over a decade of experience in designing contextually rooted and climate-responsive built environments. His work explores the intersection of vernacular wisdom, local materials, and contemporary architecture, drawing from indigenous building traditions to create sustainable and socially meaningful spaces. Through Studio Sthala, he advocates for an approach to design that is deeply connected to place, people, and culture, demonstrating how traditional knowledge can inform responsible architectural practice today.
Event Details
Focus : BODH (Building on Design Histories)
Duration : 3 hours
Venue : Will be shared with all registered participants
Time : Will be shared with all registered participants
About the Workshop
This immersive session explores the evolving relationship between the Ganga and Patna through storytelling, observation, and collaborative documentation.
Participants will first understand how the river influenced the city’s growth, culture, and identity before stepping into the landscape to observe how urbanisation has, in turn, reshaped the river. Working in groups, they will collectively document their observations through a Digital River Atlas, creating a visual archive that captures the changing relationship between the city and the Ganga.
Rediscover Patna through the stories of its river.
Join us for Arcause Regional Spotlight | Patna Edition and become part of a collective journey to read the city as a living archive.
