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Architects: The Purple Ink Studio
- Area: 145000 ft²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Suryan // Dang
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Manufacturers: Carrier, thyssenkrupp
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Lead Architects: Akshay Heranjal, Nishita Bhatia
Text description provided by the architects. The New Architecture & Design campus for MAHE was built on a dense contoured land of 3.9 acres with a vision to create interwoven and fluid spaces. The campus is planned for 1200 students from the field of Architecture, Design, and Fashion. Located in the coastal town of Manipal in Karnataka, mother ship of Manipal Academy of Higher Education Institutes. The city is bustling with vibrant campus life and students coming from different parts of the world. A subset of the existing facility which already held strong roots in the existing system with an avant-garde vision offered a mold to a design philosophy that is innovative yet sensitive. The design originated from the strong topographical site- context. The site had a major slope of 18m towards the South-East side at a mere distance of 100m, facing the valley. Working with a 10mx10m grid, the building blocks were stepped down to have undisturbed views of the valley while also respecting the existing contours.
The design program was divided into four blocks placed across the site. Wind direction being the important factor in the orientation of the blocks, the placement was planned around a central open space. The central court became an informal stepped forum encouraging an open-ended space for faculty-student interaction. The circulation is thus planned around it with meandering staircases connecting the terraces at various levels capturing panoramic views of the valley. Design studios planned on the top-most level were extended into a stepped court/terrace. The terraces worked like interactive pockets which were deliberately kept open to the sky. Visual connectivity from the corridor staircases formed a dynamic relief and visual access of peers, mitigating the connection between the two.
The design brief to have an emblematic entrance was planned to be a spatial continuum. The fluidic form also served as undulating steps leading toward the auditorium and administrative spaces. Inspirations were sought from the conspicuous Old Temple that is prominent in the city. The complexity of the structure was broken into several construction processes a synergy of RCC & ferrocement to achieve the complex form twisted to reveal the entries. Flowing rhythmic brick waves continuing the façade gave a new identity to the campus. The subtle play of organic forms continues at the entrance to introduce a new dimension to the access level.
The material palette is utilitarian with an emphasis on the maintenance aspect of the campus while also being true to its form. Building materials and cultural nuances are always kept in mind and have undergone many interpretations. As one moves through the l spaces a new experience unfolds with the proportioned harmony of forms bounded around nature, encouraging a dialogue between the two.
