Salient Feature of the Project.

Name ‘location. Student Housing — Wardha, Maharashtra.
Built up Area = 61,375 SQ/FT.
Description of Project.

Culture, evolves and develops over a period of time. The design of the student housing hence had to be flexible to be able to accommodate and evolve along with these cultural developments. Our emphasis is on envisioning ‘ the culture of the campus’ that evolves from the
social construct of communities. The competition brief required for dedicated hostels for men, women, married scholar and transit scholars which, was questioned and further challenged. The hostel typology works, as a mechanism for social control and surveillance.

‘We envision a social construct based on community interaction’.

The built form is fragmented in nature and essentially comprises of basic units of different scales that take on an organic form. The organization and orientation of the units is primarily determined by the undulating nature of the site. This makes the relationship of each unit to a neighboring unit unique and specific. The sloping site gives rise to various interconnecting levels, where the terraces of some units overlook courtyard spaces of others. Three different types of units exist — single, twin and married scholars rooms function individually as a personal space and is physically disconnected from neighboring units, but programmatically connected by a common area, which is shared by 10-12 students. The common area includes the kitchen, small dining area and living area. The common room and a toilet block with ‘n’ number of units forms a basic cluster.

Terraces, courtyards connect, extend and animate movement and interaction. The units are constant and the relationship between the units is the variable. This allows a high level of flexibility in the design.

An individual spending a minimum of 2 yrs to a maximum of 5 yrs in this campus as a student would find such a space extremely interactive and non-restrictive as opposed to a typical dormitory or hostel block which is extremely uniform and impersonal and constricting. A basic cluster would have students not only from the different schools of the institution but also from different academic years. The density of the units in combination with elements like trellises gives rise to interesting shade and lighting conditions throughout the year.

Materials of construction details

All materials used are available or manufactured with a 100 km radius making them local. The project tendered cost is estimated at Rs.800 per square feet. Use of Flyash bricks creates a symbiotic relationship between the nearby thermal power plant and the university campus to foster a clean environment. As the flyash bricks have shown better compressive strengths while tested, it was prudent to work with a load bearing structure which works as the building envelop as well as the load carrier. This brings the cost down by as against a frame structure. The traditional mud bricks have been strongly prohibited on the campus site as they have eroded the valuable soil of the region.

Special Features

Sustainibility has always been a ‘Gandhian concept’ whose value and significance today cannot be stressed enough. The environmental effects of this include cycles of land, water and air, as well as those of energy and waste management which are of primordial importance in creating a sustainable environment.

Builtform:

The lower floors of the buildings are looked at as a day space that are tucked into the hill with thick retaining walls that sheild the spaces from thermal gain (summer day tempratures range from 40 degree centigrade to 45 degree centegrade). The fenestration are minimized to avoid the solar radiation there is also minimum use of glass in the fenestrations. The sloping of the roofs allows for a larger volume with a clearstorey opening for hot air to rise and exisit on the higher floors. Deep verandahs with large roof over hangs create shadows and reduces thermal gain.

Site development:

– Using minimum cut and fill, as the site is contoured.
– Rain water harvesting and collection in catchment areas
– Contour bunding to minimize erosion of top soil and creating green areas on the slopes
– Effluent treatment of the waste generated root zone treatment and recycling the water for gardening purposes
– Afforestation by planting trees/ multiple textures: soft paving, hard paving, gravel pits, lawns, flower beds
-Use of trees to provide natural shade to south & west facing structures and to hamess wind for proper ventilation of structures.

Landscape & Circulation elements weave themselves into the textures of the •programmed & ‘non-programmed spaces. Trees, lawns, flowers, stones and other such elements engage the architecture in an ‘integrative’ manner. Once again opposed to the idea of a static & inflexible organization, the ‘timing’ & ‘sequence’ of planting becomes integral to the constantly varying experiences by the students & faculty. It also aides in maintaining the ecological balance with respect to the natural resources existing in and around the site.