Site climate and context

Bangalore, situated in the peninsula of south India, experiences type of climate. The sun
is cold for the greater part of the year, with 20’c to 30’c. It also receives a good amount of
rainfall – this climate are ideal for vegetation. Most plants thrive here giving it a good
environment. This kind of climate evidently replies on architecture

The land is located for iim Bangalore is suituated on a hilly area on southwern ighway,
about 10 kms to south of Bangalore but not strongly contoured. Suituated in a place of
no strong architectural context or urban or vernacular architecture of the region and
locally available. The traditional elements of sloping roofs and verandas also lend to the
contemporary expressions in the form of semi open patios,….These aspects of the site
and religion would play on the use of particular building and overall character of the iim.

Doshi’s philosophy:

“ we should go back to our past - check our present problems: needs, and based on the
future determine the path”

“ our ancient architecture and city planning are good examples. Let us take folk
architecture, classical, domestic, religious architecture.

One of the key buildings in transition towards a style of doshi’s own was the Indian
institute of management in Bangalore designed between 1977-1979 in collaboration with
Joseph Allen Stein, Jai Balla and Atyut kanvinde. This was a synthesis of architecture,
urbanism, plants and water. In Bangalore the climate is deep enough, to permit social life
to flow freely from to support lush vegetation and temperate enough to permit social life
to flow freely from room to verandah to garden. His visual image for IIM Bangalore was
an web of indoor and outdoor spaces under pergolas with tendrils fo vegetation woven
through them This eventually solidified into design in which long galleries, blocks and
courts were locked together in a single system.. Stone walls concrete columns and
screens were used to guide the route along the interior streets which were often open to
one side or broken through spaces in places to admit light and glimpses of sky through
trellises. To distinguish buildings of importance such as lecture halls or the library doshi
varied the scale of fenestration and sometimes used symmetry. But there was no single
axis dominating the scheme. IIM is discovered gradually over time, the route being
guided by vistas and views. The minor axed of more formal buildings to avoid too much
monumentality and to introduce tension and ambiguity.

doshi had been working gradually towards this layers and overlays. In some of his earlier
schemes. His notion for iim Bangalore is clearly indebted to Kahn’s for IIM is clearly
embedded to kahn’s IIM Ahmedabad.
Doshi wished to re-interpret principles underlying great buildings of the past. He also
wished to re – invigorate an essentially Indian attitude to spatial order which could be
found in many periods. He thought of this in terms of multiple rhythms – vibrations of
light, shade and foceting.

Doshi thought of iim Bangalore as a pattern of indoor and outdoor spaces his earlier
works sketches showed institution as a local teaching area extending into the surrounding
landscape an idea reminiscent of kahn’s diagonal arrangement of dormitories strecting
away from teaching courts in his IIM ahmedabad. Doshi’s plan brightened up so that
academic zones were arranged around interlocking courts and terraces linked by galleries.
The dormitories became angled courtyard buildings linked together by walkways and
verandahs.
Such sources were thoroughly translated into a simple and standard system of modern
construction using in situ concrete posts, lattices frames etc. this delicate trellis
vocabulary was combined with wall system using rough blocks of local gray granite.
Greenary was a third material introducing a vital vegetal ornament. It might also be right
to speak of light and shade as a texture integral to buildings main ideas. As in bousing
schemes, Doshi tried to make the most out of the confrontation of modern construction
and the massiveness of local masonry.

IIM Bangalore can be understood as an analogue of the traditional Indian quantity

competes with streets, squares, steps, ledges, balconies, galleries and overhangs. Doshi
referred to the complex as a ‘bazaar for education’. He was also intrigued by the neo –
classical colonnade of the ‘Green house’ in Bangalore and in vertical piers of the IIM
walkways indebted to both lecorbusier’s hovering slabs and to the garden buildings with
pergolas in the Bangalore area. The windows in the dormitory blocks were probably
inspired by drawings of Bhutanese dwellings, while the jagged profiles of the windows in
the administrative buildings were transformation of temple columns with their alternating
blocks setting up rhythm between positive and negative. At IIM, Doshi struggled towork
out an appropriate grammar of detail and the combination of stone walls and slender
concrete columns elements suggests theinfluence of Joseph stein.

SITE LAYOUT AND FUNCTIONAL ZONING OF THE CAMPUS:

The IIM Bangalore is located at Bannerghatta National park road about 10 kms from the
Bangalore city.
The site has a mild slope.
From the main entry, the administration block is very near by.
Formal landscaping is done near this area.
Enough parking space is provided.
The director’s block is located very near to the entrance lobby.
The faculty blocks are lined along a corridor.
The class rooms are located near the faculty blocks.
The library and computer centre is in rear side of the school area.
The faculty and staff housing facility are away from the main campus.
The walkways and the landscaped courtyards are the transition spaces
Student hostel blocks are located behind the school area.

The School:
An urban composition of courtyards rich and varied.
Architectural texture is the theme of this library and academic complex.
Semi formal landscaped thread through the complex in the manner of a mughal garden.

The school includes faculty blocks, classrooms, library and computer centre. This
academic complex and the administration are clustered along major circulation spire
running north-south. Four wings of the offices with open garden courts between extend
to west at right angles to the spire.

Teaching spaces are forming complex arms and nodes to follow a loose check board
pattern around lesser courts to the east. The formal spaces of semi-open spaces, garden
courts are the interaction spaces and they facilitate interaction between faculty and
students. This creates a very good atmosphere for learning.

Faculty blocks:

Faculty blocks are located very near the entrance lobby. The director’s block and the
classrooms are very near faculty blocks. A long corridor connects all the faculty blocks.
The corridor is well light by the natural light by th eopeings. The open courtyard by the
side also provides good light and ventilation to the block. The blocks are all connected
vertically by staircases located at convenient positions. The parking space is provided at
the rear side of the block and this space connects two blocks. The long corridor serve as
an interaction space for faculty. The faculty lounge is located at the end towards the
entrance lobby. This space is used by faculty during leisure time.

Analysis:
The faculty is divided and distributed in wings and placed near the classrooms thus
providing easy access for either of them to interact with one another.
The faculty wings have a common courtyard between them which acts a interactive and
common well for lighting and ventilation.
The faculty wings branch out perpendicular to main axis and the rooms are provided on
either side of branched out axis thus rooms are kept away from the main traffic.

Library:
In the first floor of the library block, reference section is located. The reference books
are stored in stacks and enough reading area is also provided. The reacing tables are
provided to accomodate 4 to 6 people. This facility provides group study. The storage
space for magazines and periodicals is also located in the floor. The central atrium
provides enough light to this floor. In the second floor bound volumes and documents
section is located. An office area is present.
Computer center:
It is located near the library block. This is located in the basement and there is a
staircase, which connects the entrance in the ground floor and in the basement floor. The
plant room is located near side of computer center.

Analysis:
The placement of library at an area separated from active movement provides better
atmosphere for the users.
Though separated from theother elements accessing them it is with in short range
Filtered lighting is provided at every levels through louvered windows.
Private cabins provide a silent better ambience for the readers.
The computer centre which acts as an digital library merges itself with the library in
function.

Dormitories:
The dormitories form a calico grid of quadrangles skewed 45 degrees to the main
campus. These hostel blocks are located behind th school area. The North-South pergola
walkway serves as the connection space between dormitories and the school. There are
eight blocks to accommodate all students. Enough open space in between blocks to
provide good and natural light to the rooms. The landscaping in the open courtyard gives
a pleasant setting and this gives good view to students. A long corridor connects all
blocks and the blocks are interconnected diagonally.
Parking space is provided by students adjacent to long corridor. The open space in
between the blocks is the interaction space and games like badminton, volley ball are
played here. The paved platform in one of the courtyard serves as stage for celebrations
in hostel premises. The hostel office and the administration area are provided side at a
long corridor. Staircases located in between two blocks vertically connects the blocks.

Dining hall:
The dining hall is located near the hostel blocks. The entrance lobby of the dining hall is
an informal space and is used by students as a relaxing place. A display board is also
provided. The dining hall is the place where most of the students gather at time and have
a chance to meet and interact with their fellow classmates and others.
CLASS ROOM:
The classroom is in the form of an semi circular mini amphitheater increasing the eye
contact amongst the students and drawing them physically as well as psychologically
closer to each other. The faculty too can see each person individually this creates a very
dynamic environment with strong sense of an internal center. At the same time, both the
geometry and size of classrooms vary, so that each has its own sense of identity and
large/small group of activities can take place as required.

The class rooms are organized in cluster of two or three. With a semi open or open space
holding them together. This space becomes periode to classroom. This is where students
are often seen talking or discussing before and after features.
The larger openings gives it natural lighting and ventilation; as well as establishes its
relationships. With courts and surrounding spaces. The result is a dynamic space with
surrounding spaces with a strong internal character, yet firmly connected to its immediate
context. The faculty blocks are very close to the class rooms. The long corridor that
connects all the faculty blocks serve as a transition and interaction space. Students for
transition space externsively use the landscaped courts between the classrooms and the
library block.

The open courtyard by the side of the classroomsis the main source of light and
ventilation as well as it establishes a informal space which are effectively used by
students for discussions after class hours. In this way the discussion continue as they
walk towards the library or hostel blocks. Such spaces are most neededin such a campus
where learning is not confined to only class room. Inside the calss room there is a
provision for use of audiovisual techniques. Slide projectors can be used inside the
classroom to aid in teaching..

Analysis:
• Cluster organization of class rooms provides better environment for interaction
and ther by with court at its centre and cluster arrangement of class rooms around
it provides better interactive space for students after class hours.
• The zoning of the cluster of classrooms with a faculty block near by improves the
interaction between them.
• The levels inside the classroom improve better visual connectivity between
students and faculty during discussion hours. (group discussions, seminar are
prominent activities of management institutes.
Library:
The library has no. of functions ranging from administration, storage or stacking, general
reading, serious studies in addition service like circulation, photocopying etc. It also
symbolize an important facet of academic institution, often becoming its focus. The
library has been organized with an atrium like that acts as its center, with service spaces,
staircases offices and corridors placed around it stacks and reading area is located at the
basement and upper floors.
• The dormitories were made into modular units and followed a fhythmic
organization in which the open spaces are elegantly interwoven into it.
• The circulation path does not have st. axis follows a broken axis. The focal point
in the corridor of dormitory unit is restricted. Within the unit by screen walls
which conceives the other units thereby keeping in suspense each unit.
• Separate dining halls for each wing is placed near to it for easy access and
splitting up the quantity of users.
• The inner courts and open spaces between the units acts as an better interactive
spaces for the students.

PLAY OF LIGHT AND SHADE

Doshi wished to re-interpret principles underlying great buildings of the past. He also
wished to re-invigorate an essential Indian attitude to spatial order which could be found
to many periods. He thought of this in terms of multiple rhythms – VIBRATIONS OF
LIGHT, SHADE AND FACETING.