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Architects: Sejpal & Raje Architects
- Area: 670 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Santosh Kardak
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Manufacturers: Cera-duravit, Jaquar, MS windows
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Lead Architects: Shraddha Sejpal, Rita Raje
Text description provided by the architects. Sejpal and Raje Architects were appointed in 2021 to design the Organic Research and Training Centre (ORTC) in Bylakuppe, Karnataka. This is the second-largest Tibetan settlement in India after Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, and it comprises Buddhist monasteries, temples, and universities. ORTC is an important institution for the research and dissemination of sustainable farming and animal husbandry methods. It has established a heritage seed bank and is teaching the younger Tibetans about Indigenous traditional and organic farming methods and their relevance today.
In keeping with ORTC's ethos of organic farming and agriculture, the building has been designed to reflect the same key aspects of using sustainable building materials and technology to create a climatically appropriate building. S&RA’s innovative and elegant design for the new building comprises facilities for Research, Development, Training, and Administration. The building serves as the gateway to the ORTC campus and imparts a valuable sense of identity and inspiration to the staff, trainees, and visitors.
The building is designed as a series of well-ventilated spaces with verandahs around a lush green internal courtyard with lawns. Towards the road, an amphitheater for large events surrounded by groves of coconut trees is situated. Both these gathering spaces can also be used by the larger Tibetan community even when the rest of the building is closed.
Mud bricks, crafted from the local soil, form the foundation of this eco-friendly Centre. These bricks minimize environmental impact and contribute to the building's thermal insulation, maintaining a comfortable interior climate year-round. Besides the porosity for ventilation, the brick detailing provides rich patterns and texture to the facades, and the stepped brick structures make the walls come alive with the play of shade and light. The load-bearing system using sun-dried mud-stabilized brick and filler slab helped in reducing the amount of cement and steel used in the building and also proved to be cost-effective.
The rhythmic sloping roof forms supported on slender beams give the building a buoyant and light feeling while responding to the region's heavy rainfall and enabling efficient water management and harvesting. Rainwater cascades down the chain columns gracefully onto the ground beneath, watering the grass and planting, thereby supporting the local ecosystem. S&RA, along with SAPA our Associates on this project, welcome you to visit and experience the innovative and sustainable green architecture of the Organic Research and Training Centre to see the exceptional programs and training taking place at the Centre and meet the talented and committed members of the local community that work here.
