INSIGHT, is a multidisciplinary platform that will provide an experiential edutainment center which will act as a place of learning about one’s own self and will deal with functions related to human brain and how it works.

The idea of the project is to create a nature of acceptance that anyone suffer from even slightest bit of mental/ psychological distress and it is not a difficult task to control it if only one knows the whole scenario of how to deal with one’s inner powers. Brain is that very essence any human being possess that try to give signals and signs as to how to cope with all the problems. So if the notion of understanding the difficulties become clear, there will be a possibility that people will be able to bring good to themselves as well as their surroundings.Moreover they’ll be able to learn many unlearned things as well as unlearn many learned things. The spaces can be as such that people can explore themselves and their surroundings. The research zone will deal with the psychological factors and will come up with ideas and techniques as to how these people can enhance themselves.

In context of Bangladesh, a project like this is necessary in order to uphold the glory of being Bangladeshi. As a nation we have a very glorious background. With the passage of time and with the idea of a “Digital Bangladesh” which is not being used in a fruitful way, the new generation is not focusing on how to improve themselves. In a city where the idea of an open field is on the verge of being a myth, where new generations are focusing on fast food rather than homemade food, where children are focusing on who has got the most expensive toy cars, and who has got the most expensive smart phone, so in a city like that which is trying adopt to all the western cultures other than holding onto one’s own culture, the rate of depression and mental disorder will rise no matter what. So in order to make the young generation, kids and adults of the present situation understand the importance of self-insight and self-development, and how to deal with the slightest possible psychological disorder, a center like this is an absolute necessary.

Concept

A connectome is a comprehensive map of neural connections in the brain, and may be thought of as its “wiring diagram”. More broadly, a connectome would include the mapping of all neural connections within an organism’s nervous system. The production and study of connectomes, known as connectomics, may range in scale from a detailed map of the full set of neurons and synapses within part or all of the nervous system of an organism to a macro scale description of the functional and structural connectivity between all cortical areas and subcortical structures. The principal focus of such a project is the brain, any neural connections could theoretically be mapped by connectomics, including, for example, neuromuscular junctions.

Form Development & Programmatic Layout

The site is a potential and strategic zone for creating a project like this, since it can attack all kinds of audience from all over Dhaka city. Since the target audience was mainly city dwellers, who can’t take a break from their normal life and relax. Thus the site that was taken is located right at the center of the city (Gulshan-Tejgaon-Badda nodal point, presently location of BRAC Aarong) to provide a convenient access and the existing water body of Hatirjheel will add to the design.

It is strongly established that for such a project to be successful it needs to facilitate different categories of mental healing that are available so that people can chose from anyone of them. For that reason the program has been categorized into three different types, the meditation zone, the psychological zone and the museum to explore. So that one whole is not interested on one side of the process can always come back to the other side which according to him is beneficial for him. Besides these three types there will be also facilities like religious zones, library, audio/visuals and other entertaining facilities for the ones who would just like to have a visit of the place for a better understanding of the aspects of the Human Brain.

The form was generated from the concept connentomic, the wiring diagrams that helps researchers to identify the how brain actually functions. The idea was to create a shell that itself gives a feeling of the complexity of the brain and its functioning but yet again the spaces within will be so visually clear resembling the various features of the brain and how it is connected to other human organs and functions accordingly.

In order to create the journey the idea was to create a loop of function that displays and exhibits the different zones of the brain. The visitors will be first introduced by the different portions of the brain along with the exhibit of how synapses occur in the brain. Then the rest of the zones will be triggered one after another in a sequential process. They journey follows like this:

Basic information of brain

How synapse work

Auditory and visionary experience

Movement focusing

Cognition, perception and learning

Memory

Personality test and EEG

Brainstorming zone

Meditation zone

Relaxation and city view

A new typology has been created in this project, it provide variety of facilities starting from a museum to a research center, as well as recreational zones and counseling facilities. The design was made in the dream of making people realize the importance of staying positive and how one can control themselves and not indulge into means that actually harm the organs of the human body. Initially the design might seem like a mere place which deals with human brain and its functioning, but the main aim and intention was to stoke people to think, and think deep, of themselves and the surrounding. The intention was to make people philosophically aware of themselves and their surroundings.

The world today is wonder about how to generate resources out of the natural resources provided by the upper most spiritual power, but we often forget that the best of all creation is human, and human mind, if used correctly can create wonders. Thus the project, to realize that greatness of human excellence.