Student Housing at School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada/ Shantanu Poredi

Student Housing at School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada

Location: India

Nominated to win 2A Asia Architecture Award (2ACAA 2019)

Designer: Shantanu Poredi

Category: Residential

The School of Planning and Architecture campus at Vijayawada was a two stage open competition held in 2011-2012. The student housing was completed in June 2017 and the Institution building was inaugurated in August 2018.

The intent was to create social spaces that are embedded within its cultural context along with an environmentally sensitive response to create a built environment which enables learning and living as a community.

Diagram, North-South Section: “The form of the building is a direct response to the hot and humid climate of Vijayawada, which enables shading and cross ventilation. North-light sections for studios along with insulation of the roof and landscaping create responsive configurations” © MO-OF/Mobile Offices

View of the administration area at the concourse level: The middle section of the building is a ‘Stilted Platform’ that allows for student activity. This zone is a reminder of the traditional courtyard that anchors common public and community programs. This ‘Universal zone’ is occupied by faculty, students, administrators and visitors enabling non-programmed exchange. © MO-OF/Mobile Offices

Shadow Patterns: “The massing of the building creates a shaded environment in and around the building throughout the day which is appropriate for a hot – humid climate” © MO-OF/Mobile Offices

The design focuses on the diversity of individuals and the vastness of a community and creates Interdependent programs that offer a multitude of interactive spaces that would be beneficial for a community experience. Our ideas stem from an interest in developing interrelationships in which students would participate in a non-hierarchical nature of the exchange.

“Organizational strategy for varied learning environments” GROUND LEVEL: CENTRE AND PERIPHERY – effective for interactive learning; CONCOURSE LEVEL: FIELD – informal for networked exchange; TOP LEVEL: GRID – efficient for focussed learning © MO-OF/Mobile Offices