This document discusses changes in the architecture and infrastructure of educational institutions in India. Money from increased fees and corporate/political investments has led to upgrades like larger campuses, improved facilities, and hiring international architectural firms. However, some are concerned that open spaces are decreasing to add more classrooms. Politically funded schools sometimes lack good architecture and design. Overall, institutional spaces now aim to project a modern image through landscaping, water features, and ultra-modern campuses to attract students and compete with foreign schools.

1. industry
overview
35

2. indira gandhi institute of development research
mumbai : ar. uttam c jain
aga khan school, mundra, gujarat : ar. uttam c jain
institute of hotel management & catering technology
pune : ar. raju mahagaonkar
“Indian schools are realizing the need
for infrastructure upgradation in order
to compete with foreign schools. Parents
also have become very demanding of
infrastructure and services offered.”
vidyalankar institute of technology, mumbai : planet 3 studios rajendra desai
raj edu-needs
Those who earlier attributed the dull and uninteresting look of Dr. C R Chavan, Director, Jamnalal Bajaj
academic institutions to the paucity of government coffers now have Institute of Management Studies (University of
access to huge capital investments. Mumbai), Mumbai, sums up, “With the increase
in fees, students expect better infrastructure,
especially for programs like the executive MBA
program, and managements are now willing
to provide it”. Despite the apparent cynicism
money changes everything of educationists, Indian architects are mindful
of architectural and design sensibilities while
The pretty new face of educational structures large pool of talent required to fuel this and classrooms and institutes, but it’s all at the creating academic spaces. Brimming coffers
is a reflection of the shift in perception of has been high on the planners agenda. cost of open spaces,” he says. “For example, if and the services of several internationally
such structures. And the difference is money. the Floor Space Index (FSI ) is 1 in a residential acclaimed architectural firms have made this
Bimal Patel, Director, HCP Design and Project In the era of globalization, the concept of building, educational institutes have a 4 much easier, adding a tangible value-add to
Management Pvt. Ltd., says, “Earlier what patronization has acquired a commercial FSI. Akkisetti Ramprasad Naidu, Managing the look and feel of institutions in India.
mattered was the thought inculcated inside dimension with corporate houses and Director, Christopher Charles Benninger wrap 3, calicutt : collaborative architecture
an institution. Now the image projected by politicians pouring funds into the education Architects, Pune, sums up saying, “When I
the building has become very significant.” business in the name of social responsibility. look at schools and colleges that are coming
Ar. Nitin Killawala, Nitin Killawala Associates, out in the name of some top politicians,
As human resource outsourcing began to Mumbai, adds that educational institutions there is neither good architecture nor good
unfold its massive potential, the education have an additional bonus of space, inspiring interiors !”
system was under pressure to deliver the politicians to invest. “We have more
40 index furniture journal | july - september 2007 july - september 2007 | index furniture journal 41

3. overview
planning institutional spaces :
changing perceptions
wrap 3, calicutt : collaborative architecture
Exquisite Institutional architecture varies depending on the type of institution,
landscaping, as the set of requirements is different for different types
mesmerizing
water bodies,
of institutions.
neat pavements
and ultra-modern
campuses are
now a part of space and flow
institutional spaces Students at all levels hold strong associations with the institutional buildings they grew with
in India: indicators
THIS
and architects must address issues related to the psychology of pupils while planning and
of a change in the designing spaces. “Institutional spaces are primarily behavioral spaces. A blatantly functional
space may not be ideal learning space; more so in the case of a specific age group,” says Ar.
perception and IS A STORY OF CHANGING PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES, Lalitha Tharani, Partner, Collaborative Architecture, Mumbai. Ar. Uttam Jain, Uttam C. Jain
the attitude of NECESSITATED BY CHANGING TIMES AND DEMAND. PROMOTERS OF SCHOOLS Architects & Planners, Mumbai says spaces should be designed in such a way that a child “Planning of space within the school
AND INSTITUTIONS NOW LOOK FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AND BETTER should feel like both going to school and leaving the school happily as well. “Architects have to
promoters. LANDSCAPING, UTILITIES, ROADS, PAVEMENTS, DRAINAGE SYSTEMS AND MUCH MORE. understand that a school is for a child. When children come to school they have the tendency
building and managing the flow during
and after school hours are very decisive
FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDED IN INSTITUTIONS OVERSEAS SEEM TO HAVE to run. We create a ramp instead of steps, so they just enter without knowing that they have
aspects in designing a school.”
spurred on their Indian counterparts. “To bring in a design element to institutional spaces has entered the school. When you integrate architecture and interiors, you get the best result,”
not been the tradition in India at all. The very fact that promoters now want architects and he adds. Ar. Canna Patel, Director, HCP Interior Architecture Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad, concurs
interior designers to design their projects is a big step forward,” says Ar. Vasudevan R Kadayalil, saying, “Students should feel comfortable and easily able to connect to the environment they ar. pradeep sachdeva
Chief Operating Officer, Gayathri & Namith Architects Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore. are in.” pradeep sachdeva associates
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4. overview
design and implementation
Educational consultants, though still rare in India, are beginning
to play an increasingly significant role in the set up of a school,
providing inputs to promoters on infrastructure and curriculum. Capt.
Raj Mohindra, Capt. Raj Mohindra, Principal Consultant & Managing
Director, Raj Mohindra Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai says, “Basically,
we draft the architectural concept of the project. Once the planning is
done, the architect virtually takes over the project.”
The brief provided by the promoter to the architect comprises
conclusive information on the number of students, classrooms and
facilities, with inputs from the educational consultant. Ar. Indraneel
Dutta, Principal Architect, DKA Architects, Bangalore, says the brief
gives an idea of the functional rather than the organizational aspects,
while Ar. Sanjay Kanwinde, Chief Architect, Kanwinde, Rai and
Chowdhury, New Delhi, feels that certain changes in the brief are
often inevitable in the evolution of design.
The structure of institutional architecture depends a lot on the function
of the institution. The set of requirements for an engineering college building as the basic requirements are different. “At a biological
would be different from that of a medical college, while a biological science block, there will be a series of labs and their support facilities
science block will be different from any other type of institutional such as dark rooms, equipment rooms, and freezers.
As rigid educational practices become passé, imposing campus walls
crumble to make way for open interaction spaces.
wrap 3, calicutt : collaborative architecture
ashoka kindergarten school, nashik : ar. christopher c benninger
Easy accessibility to all spaces within the institutional structure is
one a vital aspect of institutional design.
Interiors are designed and planned in such a way that accessibility to any area within the “For a lab (of about 20 to 25 students) there
building becomes easier. Basic principles of architecture such as natural light and proper would be two entrances and for a classroom
ventilation are important factors in classroom design. The number of entrances and exits in a there would be one. We determine the
classroom depends on the size of the classroom. position of the board and its height and the
sightline, as a student sitting at the back of
the classroom should be able to see the board
ncbs : dovetail furniture pvt. ltd., bangalore properly,” says Ar. C.S. Raghuram, Associate, C
R Narayana Rao Architects, Chennai
Statutory bodies like the UGC (University
Grants Commission), AICTE (All India Council
for Technical Education), Indian Medical
Association and Medical Council of India
have a framework of norms which architects
must abide by, on scale, cost and among
other aspects. “All institutional buildings
are governed by the norms of UGC. They
have fixed parameters in terms of the sizes
of classrooms, library rooms, staff rooms,
computer rooms etc. We can provide extra
facilities to the students, but we have to
fulfill the minimum requirements of UGC and
AICTE,” says Ar. Oscar Concessao, Principal
Architect, O C I Architects, Chennai. Norms on
access for the physically challenged such as
special toilets and ramps have been recently
added to this list.
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