Case Study

1. AUROVILLE
Township in Tamil Nadu
Auroville is an experimental community in southern India.
It was founded in 1968 by the spiritual leader Mirra Alfassa
as a town where people from all over the world could live
in harmony. Its focal point is the Matrimandir, a futuristic,
spherical temple covered in gold discs. Auroville Botanical
Gardens protects the region’s tropical dry evergreen forest.
Auroville Beach is a long sandy stretch with gentle surf

2. SITE LOCATION
The site is located near Puducherry in Southern part of India, on a plateau at around 50 m above sea level

3. ACCESIBILITY
Travel Time By Air : One can
arrive Auroville in 5hrs 40
min. from Mumbai Airport.
Travel Time By Road:
Using Public Vehicle can
arrive in 25 hrs.
Using Private transport you
can arrive in 21hrs 44min.

5. SITE CONTEXT

6. DESIGN PROGRAMME
Auroville City is considered to be a City of dawn that is situated around 8 km from the main town of
Pondicherry.
• It lies on the east coast road and was founded by Mirra Richard in 1968.
• This city was Designed by the French architect Roger Anger with purpose of achieving the human
unit .
• The word Auroville essentially means a universal town.
• Auroville was officially inaugurated on 28 𝑡ℎ
February, 1968 and was endorsed by UNESCO and
the Government of India.
• Tourists can visit the Auroville information centre and Matrimandir .
• Matrimandir has a unique architecture shape .
• The residential of Auroville are engaged in
administration,handicrafts,agriculture,commerce,education,healthcare, alternative technology and
development projects.
• Presently Auroville covers an area of about 2 square miles resided by over 1900 member from 40
different countries.

8. ZONING
Auroville is divided into 5 Zones which are surrounded by green belt.
• Peace Area
• Industrial Zone
• Residential Zone
• International Zone
• Cultural Zone

9. ACTIVITIES
• Matrimandir
• Planning &Architecture
• Green Practices.
• Education & Research
• Art & Culture
• Health & wellness
• Social Enterprises
• Media & Communication
• Rural Development
• City Services

10. CIRCULATION
The International Zone is conceived as a pedestrian area with restricted access for
motor vehicles. From parking places along the Outer Ring Road visitors reach
Auroville’s Visitor Reception Center, which is conceived to be the showcase of
Auroville. From the Reception Center the centers of the different continental sectors
can be reached via shaded alleyways in a few minutes walking. Aurovilians on their way
to the International Zone will take the public transport system circling Matrimandir
along the Crown Road, to arrive at a stopping point near the Unity Pavilion. From here
it is only walking distance to reach all the areas of the International Zone. Immediate
neighbors is Residential or Industrial Zone are connected directly.

11. CLIMATE
• This city has a tropical wet climate ( Aw as per Koppen-Geiger classification)
• The average annual temperature is 28.1 degrees C in Auroville
• Average annual rainfall : 1171 mm
• Average Highest Temperature : 31.8 degrees C
• Average Lowest Temperature : 24.3 degrees C

12. PLAN
PLAN OF MATRIMANDIR’S INNER CHAMBER

13. SECTION
SECTION OF MATRIMANDIR

14. ELEVATION
ELEVATION OF MATRI MANDIR

15. STRENGTH
• The city planning of Auroville is based on
principle of sustainability.
• Red Soil with good amount of iron oxide
which makes a good building material.
• Site is surrounded by green belt.
WEAKNESS
• Lack of infrastructure, especially power and water supply,
were mentioned in two cases.
• The problem is lack of planning efforts in centralized
infrastructure.
• At present Auroville is highly decentralized communities
and units are scattered all over 2400 acres, so it is difficult
to provide a centralized infrastructure.
• Auroville does not have a single co-operative inspite of
begin committed to community ideals and co-operation.
OPPORTUNITIES
• To create abundance for the growth of Auroville.
• To built and strengthen a shared economy.
• To provide a healthy and sustainable environment
for the development of people from Auroville, the
bioregion, India and the World.
• To develop while maintaining harmony with
nature and enviroment
THREATS
• Restricted accessibility for private vehicles.

16. OBSERVATION
Auroville requires to consolidate its land holding-as per the perspective master plan, which has became a major need of the
hour. Efforts of a sustain campaign are ongoing within India and abroad to raise fund to procure the lands that are critical
for the proposed city infrastructure and the surrounding green belt. Auroville is actively exploring administrative and
architectural options for building the city in the year ahead
• Management of resources.
• Auroville has red soil got its colour from iron oxides, which give excellent properties and make remarkable building
material.
• Vaulted Structures.
• Disaster Resistant Buildings.
• Energy Effectiveness.
• Cost Effectiveness.

17. MATERIAL STUDY
The following construction and building materials were used in Auroville :
• Raw Rammed Earth
• Adobe Blocks, the traditional sun dried mud brick
• Wattle and Daub which is mud plastered on a Wattle made of split Bamboo or Palmyra tree
• Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB)

18. CONCLUSION
Auroville in 1986 would integrate social, spiritual and environmental consciousness in
its growth . This social consciousness alongside the natural environment has created
the ideal experiment for innovation and design.
There is a very evident social consciousness of entire community towards sustainable
and green living. Simplicity of the Auroville society in reference to the life use of
technologies which would complement the local terrain and natural forces.
Auroville is able to build itself around the simple and harmonious idea of living since
smaller communities reduce the need for construction and maintainance of large scale
municipal systems.

19. THANK YOU
MADE BY :
MONALI ENGINEER
DRASHTI NAVADIA
SHAIL BHADRESA
SMIT SHAH,
ADIYA PATIL
ROHIT SINGH PARMAR
DEVARATA BORKAR
MAYANK BRID
NAIVEDH RAJGOR