The KR Market precinct covers an area of 47000 SQM and is situated in the epicenter of a historic, dense and commercial area – Chikpete with an approximate population of 503416, covering an area of 21.46 SQ KM. The market in itself houses around 1200 vendors, both formal and informal and also provides employment to coolies, the goods transport industry, and other supportive functions. It is estimated that the market receives over 1,00,000 footfalls every day. The meat market is located to the west of the main market building and is currently extremely dilapidated and largely vacant.
Rejuvenation of the market precinct is one of the key proposals of the Bengaluru Smart Cities initiative. And an integral part of the proposal is building a new meat market in place of the old. The building design focusses on bringing in maximum light and ventilation inside the market – by using a system of staggered floor plates overlooking a central court. Robust materials and speedy construction techniques have been selected to minimise the time of rehabilitation. The plaza outside the market has been designed to accommodate informal vendors and both protects and highlights an archway with heritage value.
