City: KOLKATA

Salient Feature of the Project

Name & Location: IQ CITY NURSING COLLEGE, Durgapur, West Bengal
Cost of Project (INR): Rs. 8,00,00,000/-
Built-up Area: 4,173.7 sq.m.

Description of the project:

IQ City is an integrated township of 100 Acres having Housing, Educational and Commercial development. The challenge for the insertion of a 45,000 sq.ft. Nursing college in the site having development area 100Acres, was to find an architectural language that harmonizes with the surrounding that has been conceived and build over time by various architects – an unassuming architectural expression that doesn’t compromise on the spatial quality was required. The building is therefore devised as a courtyard-type, introverted planning with minimalistic facade expression. Working in this context, a language of solidity and emptiness was juxtaposed to capture the soul of healing, delicately balancing strength and fragility. 

The building is situated in the educational precinct of the ‘IQ City’ development at a striking corner plot. While the surrounding buildings curve in response to the roundabout, the project sits square and firm on ground yet subtly opening up through the scooped out lower floors. The rooms in the corner of this square building are removed to create an entrance plaza which results in effective visual connection and physical continuation of space into the courtyard. This plaza corresponds to the entrance to the Medical College building and its double height foyer in the opposite side. Also being adjacent to the grounds of the temple complex on the southern side, the plaza is thus designed as an extended public space.

A robust yet simple structural system is used that reflects the gravity and simplicity of the purpose of the building. Pockets of openness echo the hope that needs to emanate from a caregiver. The building’s robust and unassuming character is punctuated by deliberate voids. This interplay of void and solid becomes one of the key elements of the project. Planned around a central courtyard, the idea was to create a public space that flows at many levels. Ample terraces overlooking the central courtyard are created at all levels as extension of corridors. This serves the dual purpose of transforming mundane movement spaces into active stop ‘places’ for interaction and in creating a continuous connected network of gathering places not only in the horizontal plane but also vertically.

The Courtyard and Terraces maximize the use of daylight and enhance natural ventilation passively cooling the building. The orientation and placement of these voids respond to the solar angle such that a generous mix of shaded and sunny spaces are produced to be equally welcoming in summer and winter.

Material of Construction Details: 

The interior finishes imitate the simplistic approach to materiality and construction. To optimize the cost and resource, use of false ceiling is avoided. The structural system is used to create articulation in the form of coffered slab at the entrance plaza. The building is conceived in plaster and paint finish. Yellow Kota Stone is used only in the entrance plaza and courtyard emphasizing the importance of open space. The success of the project can be exemplified when its monochromatic base palette of color is used by the client on the existing buildings to create an image of the campus. 

Special Features: 

Can a space teach you how to care? 

This question transcribed into the design intent for the IQ City Nursing College building in Durgapur, West Bengal. It is essentially an institution that nurtures young people to be empathetic efficient care givers. Effective communication, cultivated over time through interaction with people from various walks of life, plays a major role in sensitizing one on the issues of others. The design focuses primarily on spaces that fosters such interaction and the exchange of ideas through communication. 

Durgapur is a Tier-II city of West Bengal. As a developing industrial township it is home to numerous privately managed colleges and universities. Minimizing the cost of construction becomes a critical issue for such investments and considerable factor in design development.

The International Statistical Education Centre or ISEC was conceived by the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata for the foreign students studying at the ISI. The ISI has a long and narrow campus, north of Kolkata city, on Barracpore Trunk Road (B.T. Road). The campus has been divided into three segments by municipal roads cutting across the property in East-West direction. The northern-most segment was selected for the ISEC building.

The ISEC building has been designed as a hostel-cum-classroom building for the foreign students with single and double rooms on the 4 upper floors and academic facilities at the ground and ISt floor.

There are 56 guest rooms of different sizes located on the 4 upper floors with a common room for the residents on each floor.

The ground floor has a waiting lounge for visitors, caretaker’s room, a gym and a recreation room. The common dining and kitchen is also located at the ground floor.

The classrooms, a library and the offices are located on the 1st floor.

The building has been designed around a central, open-to-sky courtyard at the ground level which may serve as a space for recreation for the residents.

There are open terraces at different levels for the students’ open-air-activities. The Dining Hall has a glass faqade looking out towards the large waterbody on the East.

PROJECT BRIEF

The residence for Shri A. Barman at CL-35, Salt Lake City had a simple design brief. The ground floor was to a self contained 3 bedroom unit which could be rented out without disturbing the two floors above. It was to have a separate entrance and a covered car parking space. The first and second floors were to be combined into a large 3 bedroom flat with an independent access and a covered car parking space.

The ground floor was designed as a 3 bedroomed unit and a common servants’ toilet, which can be accessed from outside. The drawing room is at a higher level, placed over the garage. A wide series of steps going up to the drawing room serve as informal sitting area facing the dining room.

The first floor has a large bedroom and a study sharing a balcony facing the rear open space. The remaining portion of the first floor is similar to the ground floor. The only exceptions are a) the increased height of the drawing room, b) the small balcony in front and c) the dry toilet over the servants’ toilet.

The second floor has a bedroom at the rear side with an open to sky terrace. The family room at the centre opens out into another open terrace in front. These two open terraces break into the rigid cubic form of the house and create an opportunity for landscaped terraces at different levels.
The first and second floor have been designed for the owners, keeping in mind the seasonal changes in Kolkata and the way people use their built up and open spaces. The first floor is cooler in the summer months and the drawing room allows the cool air to circulate through the house, which is important for Kolkata’s hot-humid climate.

The open terraces on the second floor and roof are used extensively after sundown in the months of March, April and May. The double wall construction and the projections provide protection for the windows and walls from the sun and rain. The wide staircase mid-landing insulates the building from the west.

AREA STATEMENT

Area of Plot  4.14 K. = 276.78 sqm.
Proposed Ground coverage  54.91% = 151.99 sqm.
Proposed built up area – = 446.67 Sqm.
Proposed F.A.R. – 1.61

 

The International Statistical Education Centre or ISEC was conceived by the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata for the foreign students studying at the ISI. The ISI has a long and narrow campus, north of Kolkata city, on Barracpore Trunk Road (B.T. Road). The campus has been divided into three segments by municipal roads cutting across the property in East-West direction. The northern-most segment was selected for the ISEC building.

The ISEC building has been designed as a hostel-cum-classroom building for the foreign students with single and double rooms on the 4 upper floors and academic facilities at the ground and 1st floor.

There are 56 guest rooms of different sizes located on the 4 upper floors with a common room for the residents on each floor.

The ground floor has a waiting lounge for visitors, caretaker’s room, a gym and a recreation room. The common dining and kitchen is also located at the ground floor.

The classrooms, a library and the offices are located on the 1st floor.

The building has been designed around a central, open-to-sky courtyard at the ground level which may serve as a space for recreation for the residents.

There are open terraces at different levels for the students’ open-air-activities. The Dining Hall has a glass façade looking out towards the large water body on the East.

“ …. as she stopped writing and looked outside, the slanted shadows on the opposite wall prompted a sigh of relief. Their group assignment finished well before noon with plenty time to spare. It was after the submission however, that she realised that she hadn’t found the need to look at her watch. A semester was all it took to realise that she could tell the time of the day from the angle of the shadows.

Had she learnt something outside the classroom? They studied the sun dial in school but this was the first time she had actually applied it in her life.

That the sun and its shadow can become a lesson for college students, is the work of a carefully designed space. In a university, education cannot be confined to classrooms and textbooks. It spreads far beyond….. “

Scholastic Building III, The Neotia University, West Bengal, India

In the suburbs of Bengal, secluded from the loud bustling city, lies a quiet University campus. Through the Golden Mean gate & past the Mondrian painted administration building; we get our first glimpse of the main academic centre of the campus. Scholastic Building-III of The Neotia University is designed with passive solar techniques to create a humble yet exciting space for learning. It breaks all norms as it stands out spotless white with large terraces and ample green.

The Third Teacher : Buildings nowadays are aiming to be green, earthy and close to nature. Instead what if we make our habitants think green, earthy and close to nature? Embedded in every nook and corner are lessons that a student can learn outside the classrooms. Architecture here plays the role of the third teacher and SB-III yearns to attain the unending limits of a good teacher.

The Sun lounge : A three-level Sun lounge is primary focal point of this academic block. Apart from creating a vast interesting space, it is also provided with a white canvas for the Sun, the third teacher, to create or draw lines on it. One can quickly understand by first-hand experience with nature how the shadows can relate to the time of the day without having to study the sun-dial. As the name suggests, this “lounge” serves a perfect breakout space that is not too far from the classrooms so as to discourage skipping classes. A much needed break does not necessarily mean skipping classes or rushing to the canteen. It is a space designed to celebrate the wonder of nature.

Breaking the Barrier : Our tropical climate with sweltering heat and humidity calls for a desperate intervention by nature. Just like a mobius strip, the external wall of the building twists itself and wraps inside the school building as well. This resulted in spaces that could neither be defined as interior or exterior. We now have shaded spaces away from the harsh sun which are definitely not indoors. Large trees and ample green densely populate all levels including the high ones.

Celebrating Seasons: The different seasons and extreme variation in climate calls for a difference in our activity spaces. An area wide and open will attract us for the warm winter sun during the cold months. But this same space will remain unused throughout out hot and rainy months when we crave shade and respite from the scorching heat. Thus there are different open spaces in different parts of the block.

The sun lounge is a vast expanse perfect for mornings and evenings throughout the year. The rear terrace has perfect cool respites from the sun burn. Many covered terraces are created to enjoy the heavy monsoons with a cup of hot coffee.

The Rain : Various outdoor spaces in the building are so designed that they are rain protected. Thus the students can sit outside and do their studies while enjoying the rains. The concept of rain chain, of Japanese origin, is an attractive alternative to the common unappealing rainwater downspouts. We had chains coming down from the upper terraces and collect the water in rainwater harvesting pools which is then recycled and reused. It not only facilitates water conservation, but is also visible to students to see and be aware. With no hassle of maintenance and being very low cost it is a reminder that elegant and appealing does not to cost much if combined with simple and sensible.

Encouraging Incidental Interaction : One of the many drawbacks of our education system is the restricted interaction amongst different disciplines. The various terraces outside the classrooms create an easy way for cross subject discussions. It provides a refreshing break and prevents over-saturation of one’s own subjects and company. We can encourage creative thinking and mixing of different ideas and passions.

Good architecture is not just about designing a good “building”. It is one of that teaches something that is embedded in one’s surroundings. Architecture here is the third teacher. Just like the unending limits of a good teacher or a favorite book, there isn’t an end to what marvels architecture is capable of. The scholastic building-III at TNU yearns to attain just that. It starts out by warmth that does not resemble dreadful dull boxes that repel students from the onset. It envelops a character that encourages students to wonder at the greatness of nature.