Case study: IIT Gandhinagar- Faculty Housing

Presented by: Honey Dave, Shivam Raval, Aditi Yadav

Case Study : IIT Gandhinagar- Faculty Housing
Introduction
• In July 2012, the Government of Gujarat provided a piece of land on the banks of the Sabarmati River at
Palaj village, Gandhinagar District, measuring about 161 hectares (399 acres) for the IITGN permanent
campus.
• The campus development work was split into master planning and architectural design. Vastu Shilpa
Consultants (VSC) was awarded the design of the faculty and staff housing of the campus. VSC
conceptualized the design in a holistic manner, working in partnership with the IITGN community.

Site Location
• The site is located on the eastern bank of the Sabarmati River, across from the city of Gandhinagar and
easily accessible from Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and the GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec) city.

Urban and Historic Context

• The modern context of Gandhinagar and
the historical context of Ahmedabad play
a vital role in the evolution of the
architectural design of the housing
campus. The city of Gandhinagar is the
face of urban development and the
growth of Gujarat as a state. Ahmedabad
represents the historic development of a
city within the given climatic context.

Climatic Context
• A contemporary interpretation of the
elements of pol houses such as narrow
shaded pathways, internal courtyards,
terraces and jali fenestration provides the
architectural vocabulary of this design.
• The creation of a street network maintains
the element of surprise that is found in
the traditional Indian street, thus
enhancing the spatial expressions
envisioned by the master planner.
Design Evolution
1. Initial proposal depicting high-rise Parcel 1 with 520 units and low-rise Parcel 2 with 412 units. Total
area to be developed was approximately 40 acres.
2. Proposal depicting high-rise Parcel 1 with 544 units and low-rise Parcel 2 with 432 units. The number of
connections was increased between Parcel 1 and 2.
3. Proposal depicting the introduction of Phase 1 and 2. Parcel 1 was assigned for future Phase 2
development and part of Parcel 2 was assigned for Phase 1.
4. Proposal depicting modification of the previous Phase 1 proposal in terms of entry points and parking.
5. Proposal depicting modification of the peripheral road layout to accommodate more housing units.
6. Proposal depicting a modified peripheral road layout with a road differentiating Parcel 1 and 2 to
accommodate more housing units.
7. Proposal depicting a compressed Phase 1 parcel with the central spine and parking at the road
periphery.
8. Final proposal covering 16 acres of land with the fully developed central spine and accommodating
270 housing units.

Site Layout

• Spread over 16 acres of land, the design clearly defines a central pedestrian spine connecting housing of three different types.
• The central pedestrian spine connects green pockets of various scales, encouraging social and cultural interaction. These spaces offer the possibility of a
variety of activities and experiences for residents. The intent is to provide a variety of spaces of a human scale, making the experience of walking through
it akin to what one feels in the streets of the old city of Ahmedabad.
• Clusters were oriented after studying the sun-path and shadow pattern in the summer months and considering the prevalent wind movement directions.
Thus the walkways that formed around the green spaces in the central spine remain shaded, creating public spaces with favourable temperature
conditions.
Site Analysis

Pedestrian spine

Parking spaces and green buffers

General and emergency vehicular access layout

• Each housing cluster has access to an adjacent parking lot and is separated from parking through a
buffer of green spaces. Parking and vehicular access is limited to the periphery of clusters, thus not
interfering with the activities of internal areas.
• Each cluster of housing is designed to have 9 individual units, with units varying from 100 to 230
square meters of area.
Site Analysis
• The central spine connects house clusters through courts of various scales, forming
narrow and wide pedestrian walkways.
• Orientation of the clusters form intriguing spaces in the central spine, creating interest
and curiosity among people who walk through it. These spaces of varied scale
become gathering areas for people of different age groups, encouraging social
activities reminiscent of that in the traditional pol housing clusters of Ahmedabad.
• Pathways and green spaces of varying scale thus form hierarchical community spaces
in the spine, ideal for the extreme climatic conditions of the area.
• Parking lots are located adjacent to the clusters, limiting the vehicular access to the
periphery of the site. Thus, the central spine remains free of any vehicle circulation.
But in the case of an emergency, these internal pathways can accommodate vehicles.

Even though the housing is

Intimate Scale of Spaces dense, privacy is maintained
through the placement of
• Narrow pathways created in the central spine remain shaded each building. The offsets
during afternoon hours due to the house clusters located on and orientations are such
either side. These narrow spaces then open into larger green that windows of different
areas of the central spine. blocks and units do not face
each other. The buildings are
The Wider Spaces placed to create interesting
• The narrow shaded pathways in the central spaces.
spine connect to the larger green courts --- a current resident
and wider pathways around them. These
larger green areas become community
spaces encouraging social and cultural
activities.

We are lucky to live in IIT Gandhinagar, it is

so clean and beautiful, there are no chor
(thief), there is nice music program with prizes
and food, the designs on road (plantations)
are very nice.....
--- a 6 year old current resident
Cluster Types
Three Types
• Each house type is a combination of three modules inter-linked through a series of public and semi-public
spaces of varying sizes that include entrance lobbies, corridors and corridor lobbies. These spaces act as
transition areas from the entrance lobby (public area) to the dwelling unit (private area) and also provide an
opportunity for the chance meeting, thus encouraging social interaction.
• The vestibules at the entrances of all modules become a public space leading to the semi-public spaces of the
living and dining rooms. Living and dining rooms at one end are in turn connected to the kitchen and utility
areas and at the other end lead to the private spaces of the bedrooms.
• This organization of spaces ensures that the privacy of residents is not disturbed by the activities in the public and
semi-public areas. There are no shared walls between any of the units.

Sketch highlighting transition of spaces within a typical cluster

Sketch highlighting cross-ventilation within Sketch highlighting double-layer insulation effect

a typical cluster within a typical cluster

• Optimum room sizes are provided as per requirements that were specified by the IITGN community.
Each module has an efficient floor plan.
• Each module of Cluster Type C consists of 2 bedrooms, living and dining rooms with common
balcony and kitchen with utility balcony.
• Each module of Cluster Type B consists of 2 bedrooms, living and dining rooms with separate
balconies, study room and kitchen with utility balcony.
• Each module of Cluster Type A consists of 3 bedrooms, living and dining rooms with separate
balconies, study room, multipurpose room and kitchen with utility balcony.
• Cross ventilation is provided throughout all the units and they all have a compact layout to minimize
unusable areas within each unit.
• A kitchen garden area was provided with each ground floor unit. Residents are free to grow herbs, Sketch highlighting transition of spaces within a typical module
vegetables and fruit-bearing and flowering trees and shrubs.
Cluster Types

Typical cluster plan for Type C

Typical cluster plan for Type A

The common places

• There is a merging of indoor and outdoor spaces. Lobby areas in the corridors
of the clusters are provided with built-in seating. These areas behave as an
extension of the dwelling unit, designed in a manner which could be
personalized by the occupants and thus contribute to the overall quality of the
area, making it more lively and interactive, with its unique gathering space for
residents and visitors. This encourages social interaction.
• Given the hot and dry local weather, the design extensively uses buffer spaces
such as balconies and built in wardrobes along with generous use of jalis to
minimize heat gain in living area and bedrooms.
The spaces contribute to our sense of community. There are many children in
our building and they enjoy playing together in the lobbies, common areas, and
the internal green areas free of vehicles.
--- a current resident
Typical cluster plan for Type B
Unit Types

Typical unit plan for Type C

BUA 103.76 Sqm

Typical unit plan for Type A

BUA 227.96 Sqm

Legend for Unit C Legend for Unit B Legend for Unit A

Typical unit plan for Type B

BUA 146.39 Sqm
Housing mass and lightweight utility structures
• Clusters in the residential campus are finished with grit plaster and texture paint with
continuous horizontal and staggered vertical grooves, thus making the built mass more
intricate.
• To break the monotony of the housing mass, utility structures are designed to add lightness
and colour to the campus. Parking sheds, community pavilions and entrance canopies are
thus designed of lightweight tubular steel with coloured polycarbonate sheet roofing, to
contrast with the mass of the buildings.
Parking Structures
• The parking structures are a series of square modules of three different heights and are
made out of a mild steel tubular structures with roofing of multi-cell polycarbonate sheets.
Lighting at housing, highlighting coloured polycarbonate sheet roofing
Trellises are provided on the rooftop to support creepers, which are designed as part of the
structure.

Jali
• Jali screens are provided in the staircase and lobby areas, windows, verandahs and kitchen
utility balconies. The design of the jali panel is modified and repeated in these spaces,
creating interesting patterns.
• Jalis not only enhance the look of the buildings but also help to reduce heat gain and
increase natural ventilation as well as diffuse light, making them particularly suitable for such
extreme climatic conditions.

Community pavilion
• The pavilion is a combination of four modules similar to those of the parking structures, Parking structures
which become a covered gathering space in the common lawn areas.

Community Pavilion Canopies Jali

Landscape Strategies
• The landscape of the site is guided by the arrangement of the clusters forming the central
spine, which has green areas of varied scales.
• Shrub planters are designed along the edges of the clusters to segregate pedestrian
walkways from clusters, maintaining privacy for the residents. These shrub planters are
extended in the internal circulation areas of the clusters forming small planter beds, thus
integrating built-up and green areas.
• Common green areas of larger scales include large lawn areas, kids play areas and
vegetable gardens. Larger lawn areas are useful for organising social and cultural events.
• The variety of spaces allow people of different ages to choose and indulge in desired social
activities. Vegetable gardens in smaller green pockets provide usable greens for the
residents.
Tree Plantation
• A mix of different species of trees suitable to the local climate are provided along the central
spine and on the periphery of the site. Trees with good foliage are carefully chosen to provide
shade along the pathways and relief spaces for summers.
• Along with it, flower bearing trees are added at strategic locations to add colour and also to
bring change in the mood of the residential campus with every passing season.
• Certain species of trees are specifically provided in the green pockets to generate gathering
spaces, which with time will give unique identity to the area.

External Services
• The service networks of the clusters
connect to the main network for
the entire campus by passing
through the central spine.
• For the surface water drainage
from the central spine and parking
areas, a network of catch pits is
provided that collects the surface
water and then transfers it to the
main water treatment plant of the
campus.
• Rooftop rainwater is being taken Plantation at housing
through a separate network to The small features in the apartment contribute to its charm. The use of
wooden materials for the windows and doors, the unpolished tiles, the
harvesting tanks throughout the
natural light give it an older charm in a modern setting. Even the
campus. smallest bedroom has two windows. --- a current resident
Wall finishes
• External walls are finished with washed stone grit plaster up to the ground floor lintel level and with texture
paint from there on up to the terrace parapet level.
• Internal walls for corridors and all rooms are finished with smooth plaster and premium acrylic emulsion paint.

External development
• The parking sheds, community pavilions, and entrance canopies are made of mild steel, the hollow circular
sections with epoxy paint finish and with a multi-cell polycarbonate sheet as roofing material. The trellises for
these structures are made of mild steel square hollow sections with epoxy paint finish.

The details in the external structures contribute

to our enjoyment in using the spaces. The
colorful canopies and flowering vines are a
pleasure to stand by waiting for my child’s
school bus, and the pavilion is a perfect place
for exercise or small gatherings.
--- a current resident