IIM Ahmedabad was established in 1961 and designed by renowned architect Louis Kahn between 1963-1970. The campus features academic and residential buildings arranged around a central courtyard, known as the Louis Kahn Plaza. Notable buildings include the triple-height library, school building with seminar-style classrooms, and dormitories placed to maximize cross ventilation. Pedestrian paths and landscaping integrate the buildings, with an emphasis on creating spaces that encourage faculty-student interaction both inside and outside formal classrooms.

1. IIM AHEMDABAD

2. Introduction
• IIM Ahmedabad is the top management institute in India.
• Established in 1961, the institute offers master's degree
programs in management and agri-business management, a
fellowship program and a number of executive training
programs .The Institute's founding director was Ravi
J.Matthai. Other notable founding figures were the Indian
physicist Vikram Sarabhai and Indian
businessman Kasturbhai Lalbhai.
• IIM Ahmedabad is design by Louis Kahn.
• While Louis Kahn was designing the National Assembly
Building in Bangladesh in 1962, he was approached by an
admiring Indian architect, Balkrishna Doshi, to design the 60
acre campus for the Indian Institute of Management
in Ahmedabad, India.

3. location
• IIM situated on 66 acres site .
• Located on west side of Ahmedabad .
• It is 10km away from the railway station and 15km away from
the airport .

4. Site Info
• Established : 1962
• Design : 1963-1970
• Campus Area : 66 acres(old
campus) + 40acres(new
campus)
• Soil Type : Alluvial sandy
• Typology : Educational
(including housing)
Architectural
requirement
• No. of students : 1500+
• No. of faculties : 100+
• No. os staff members : 300+
• Infrastructure : Academic ,
Student hostel and housing,
Faculty housing

5. Layout

6. Concept
• For Kahn, the institute’s design was more than just efficient spatial
planning of the classrooms; he began to question the design of the
educational infrastructure where the classroom was just the first
phase of learning for the students .
• The classroom was just the formal setting for learning; the hallways
and Kahn’s Plaza became new education centers.
• The conceptual rethinking of the educational practice transformed a
school into an institute, where education was a collaborative, cross-
disciplinary effort occurring in and out of the classroom.
• The large facade omissions are abstracted patterns found within the
Indian culture that was positioned to act as light wells and a natural
cooling system protecting the interior from India’s harsh desert
climate. Even though the porous, geometric façade acts as filters for
sunlight and ventilation, the porosity allowed for creating new
gathering spaces for the students and faculty to come together.

7. PLANNING
• Library
• School
Building
• Faculty blocks
• Dormitories
• Louis I Kahn
Plaza

10. Library
Key concept of library
1. Triple Height makes Monumental .
2. Wide corridor pathway makes more interaction .
3. Library entry on rised first floor while Ground floor occupy by
offices .
4. Grand openings leads for more lighting and enough
ventilation .
5. Separate stack and Reading section is more convenient .
6. In reading section, Triple height celling makes pleasant
environment for readers .
7. Semi Circular stairways makes timeless design .
8. Minimal use of glass is openings allows only indirect lighting.

11. • The library is the most prominent building of the whole
campus. It is approached by a broad, imposing flight of steps
from the parking lot. It is so designed as to become the centre of
faculty student interaction.
• Entrance to the library is from the first floor.
• The library building is a five storied structure with a
rectangular plan.
• GROUND FLOOR - Has library administrative areas and
stores.
• FIRST FLOOR - Accommodates issuing counter, reference
books, catalogues, book stacks and carrels.

12. • SECOND FLOOR accommodates triple height reading hall and
conference halls.
• THIRD FLOOR accommodates bound volumes of journals.
• FOURTH FLOOR has bound volumes of old books and journals.

13. Library block
Grand entrance

14. School Building
• The school building is a longitudinal building located on the
south west side of the library. It is connected to the library by
an ambulatory and to the dormitory by an over bridge over the
village street.
• The ground floor has most of the administrative offices with
classrooms and seminar rooms on the first and second floors,
respectively.
• Lobbies are created in between classrooms and these not only
provide entry to rooms but also serve as spots where students
can meet and exchange ideas before dispersing after their
classes.

15. Classrooms
• The Design of the classrooms is based on seminar type of
interaction between students-students and students-faculty.
• Windows are high to get glare free light.
• There is no acoustical disturbance from outsider’s, since an inner
buffer space separates classrooms from circulation space
separately.
• The classrooms is well equipped with projection systems and is
centrally air conditioned.

16. Classrooms
• The shape of the class room is
hexagonal and the sitting
arrangement in a classrooms is in
horseshoe pattern with rows of
seat at different levels.
• The Design of class room is based
on the seminar type interaction
between the students and the
faculty.
School building

17. Faculty block
• Four Storey Building comprising of four blocks. All four blocks
are joined together by a corridor on each floor.
• These blocks enclose space in between them, which are
developed as a raised lawns.
• There are 10 rooms on each floor of one block.
• The arched openings in the corridors, adjacent to the staircases
act as viewing galleries offering views of the landscaped courts.

19. Dormitories
• The shape of each dormitory block is square with two
residential wings, triangular lounge and a service area.
• The position of the staircase and washroom are meant to
protect the living room from sun and glare without obstructing
and the breeze and ventilation.
• The Dorms are placed one behind the other To Obtain the much
needed breeze and cross ventilation.

20. • The ground floor of certain dormitories blocks have been utilized
as multipurpose rooms, bank post and telegraph office, dispensary
and students welfare offices etc.
• Some dormitories have been kept free for circulation by provision
of arched openings underneath the dormitories with rooms above.
• The dorms have an access through a ramp leading to a piazza
which provide al link between the dorms and classrooms.
• The dorms are placed one behind the other to obtain the much
needed breeze and cross ventilation.
• The design of individual blocks as well as their layout are
intended to promote interaction among the students and to
provide them privacy

21. Louis Kahn Plaza
• Instead of small courts one large court has been planned in the
center to relate to movement around the classrooms, library
and faculty administration.
• The court is vast and the openings of the corridors flanking the
court are few giving a ritualistic sense to the entire space.
• The Louis Kahn plaza is a raised platform in the court, which
id 120 feet wide serves the function of a stage on formal
occasions with large gatherings.

22. auditorium
• The auditorium has been placed in close proximity to the main
entrance near the parking area for easy access.
• The auditorium has a capacity of 550 seats, accommodated in a
combination of stepped and flat floors, which is to be mainly
used for simulated conferences by participating students,
lectures as well as periodic entertainment.
• The acoustics of the auditorium are taken care of with the
design of an asymmetric folded plate roof which helps in
carrying the sound to the back rows without the need of any
false ceiling and plaster mounds.
• There are two set of staircases in the foyer for the circulation
and the two spiral staircases are located towards the rear for
access to the ante rooms on the upper floor .
• The auditorium accommodated in a combination of stepped and
flat floors, which is to be mainly used for simulated conferences
by participating student, lectures as well as periodic
entertainment.

24. Faculty block
• Faculty housing design within the campus is a highly
personalised environment that drives students not just to learn,
but to think.
• Faculty housing aligned diagonally for wind, avoid direct
heating with landscapes.
• Houses are grouped inclusters each cluster has one type of
housing.

25. Dinning block
• The dining block has good connectivity with the school building.
• The basement accommodates storage. The dining hall for
students is on the ground floor and the cafeteria is located on
the first floor.
• It has been connected with the dormitories with the passage
known as village street..
• Dining area with good arrangement of light and ventilation
• Connected to separate service entrance from road
• Kitchen ‘dining is located on the northwest side of the
site.
• The dining hall for students, faculty and staff is the same

27. Management development centre(mdc)
• The planning of the management Centre facilitates interaction
amongst the participants.
• The building in the front accommodates offices, lecture room,
syndicate rooms on the ground floor and seminar rooms on the
upper floor while the other building accommodates lecture
room, syndicate rooms, computer center, executive hostels and
dining hall.
• There are two lecture halls, 2 conference rooms and 8 syndicate
rooms in the MDC building.
• The seating layout of the lecture hall is in a horseshoe pattern
to facilitate interaction amongst students as well as student
and teacher interaction.
• The building is basically an enlarged house, like a haveli or
a mahal

29. Materials
• Brick has been used as primary building material for the entire
complex walls.
• Brick arches have been used for wider spans.
• Concrete has been restricted to floor slabs, foundations and ties
for arches.
• The large facade omissions are abstracted patterns found
within the Indian culture that were positioned to act as light
wells and a natural cooling system protecting the interior from
India’s harsh desert climate. Even though the porous,
geometric facade acts as filters for sunlight and ventilation, the
porosity allowed for the creation of new spaces of gathering for
the students and faculty to come together.

30. Circulation
• Circulation pattern of the campus is mainly pedestrian with
vehicular movement limited till the entry point.
• The whole campus (dorms and academic block) can be
traversed in 10 minutes
• The development of system of paths, walkways and
ramps is there to reinforce the pedestrian scale of the
campus
• The walkways at both lower and upper level dormitories
create a visual interest and evoke feeling of street being
in succession
• Circulation in IIM campus is through three major roads
1. Peripheral
2. Internal
3. Smaller internal roads separate accesses are provided
for the institutional complex and the residential area.

32. Landscaping
• Landscaping is an important element of design, which has
been well integrated with building design in campus.
• The Louis Kahn Plaza is the central court around which
buildings have been planned. This functions as a space for
relaxation as well as for formal occasions for huge gatherings.
• Faculty offices have been planned with garden courts in
between two blocks.
• Raised lawns in front of the auditorium as well as the main
entrance further aid in visually enhancing the quality of
environment within a complex.

34. Conclusion
• Spaces are interact to each other.
• Masses arrangement is liner and planning in grid from .
• Campus have zonal layout
• Zonal layout have mainly 2 zone
1. Academic zone
2. Residential zone
• In Academic zone focus goes on library block .
• Open spaces are like courtyards.