Center for Inclusive Growth & Competitiveness for TAPMI

Premise: Reading the City

Manipal is a modern town along the coasts of Southern India. Its development began in early 1953, with a population of 2000-5000 people with Dr T.M.A Pai who laid the foundation of the educational hub. Manipal today is home to an estimated 25,000-30,000 students, constituting roughly 50-60% of the city’s population. With the infrastructural blocks mushrooming, the urban fabric becomes rigid and devoid of social spaces for the young floating population. By re-imagining academic spaces, TAPMI Centre for Sustainability seeks to address this imbalance.

The Site and Its Context
The Centre for inclusive growth & competitiveness is nestled inside the 40-acre residential campus of TAPMI located on a hillock, overlooking a picturesque valley with views of the forested green canopies. Occupying a humble land parcel of 5,000 sqft, holds a significant position within the campus, offering a dynamic interplay between its immediate context and the broader environment.
The site holds a prominent position in the campus, it is encircled by a road that originates at the campus and weaves its way down, hugging the contours of the terrain. The views surrounding the site are an interplay of open & academic blocks.

The Program & Narrative
The client’s brief was deeply rooted in the institution's core values, emphasizing the design of academic spaces that inspire collaboration and meaningful interaction. The Program, which included classrooms, administration, workshops & a small cafeteria could be accommodated in a Ground and an upper level. This raised a pivotal question for us – could the project move beyond fulfilling the spatial requirements and redefine what academic places mean for a place like Manipal? Reinterpreting the conventional academic block, the intent was to design spaces that transcended beyond academic hours, re-imagining them as community hubs.

Beyond the Brief: The Design Strategy
The design approach for TAPMI Centre for inclusive growth & competitiveness reflects and re-defines its role within the campus, the community, and the city. This vision is driven by three key ideas:
Building as a Social and Communal Space
Instead of expanding the program vertically or horizontally, we explored the potential of the terrace. Conventionally an under-utilized element in this region, due to heavy rainfall, we added a covered layer to make the space adaptable and open for community engagements. This added an “after life” to the structure, where learning & community can co-exist.
The terrace becomes part of the land and is stepped down to encourage a connection between the people, land, and the building. At the heart of the center is Angala, an open amphitheater that serves as a hub for several activities, which almost merges with the abutting road.
With Angala serving as a porous connectivity hub, covering the terrace became essential in addressing the local climate. We drew inspiration from the “Chhatris” of bamboo, commonly seen in the ghatscapes of Varanasi, India. These traditional sunshades signify the starting point for various commercial, religious, and recreational activities. Beyond providing shelter, chhatris stand not only as architectural elements but also as symbols of cultural continuity for local artisans.
We collaborated with skilled craftsmen to connect the craft not just with its historical lineage but also empowering future generations. The network of parasols stretched across the terrace, thoughtfully intersecting at strategic locations to create a cohesive and functional space.
Building as a Landscape
The Building dissolves the rigid separation between the land and the built form. The building extends outwards, expanding its functionality into community spaces, formal spaces for events and gatherings and often acting as a thoroughfare connecting the terrains at different levels. Bridges, ramps, and buildings reaching the land make the space accessible to all.
Building for the City
TAPMI center functions as a vibrant node for a larger community, bridging the gap between academic and community spaces. The building is devoid of entry or even a main door, fostering openness and accessibility. Even after academic hours, students use these spaces for various activities and making it a hub of continuous engagements. By weaving together, the idea of landscape and the idea of shared resources the project embodies a vision of sustainability that is both innovative and rooted in context.

Structure as Architecture, Architecture as Interiors
We interwove the entire narrative for the structure to become the architecture and flow seamlessly into the interiors. The interiors though layered celebrate the rawness and the tactility through the choice of materials. The project engages materials and methods that connect the past with the present, ensuring that the craft traditions of the region are celebrated and preserved. The project offers a fresh perspective on sustainability that transcends ecological considerations and embraces cultural continuity through opening the building to everyone.

The Future
TAPMI Sustainability Centre embodies the vision that the future of academic campuses can be democratic, non-linear, and porous. A transformative model that can evolve to meet the demands of modern learning while embracing the cultural roots and empowering the “now” to be future ready.

Completion Year: Oct’ 2024
Gross Built Area (m2/ ft2): 1160 sqm / 12,500 Sqft
Project Location: Manipal, India
Program / Use / Building Function: Academic / Institution

Akshay Heranjal
Nishita Bhatia
Aditi Pai
Arpita Pai
Jinan Fuloonah
Rajvi Shah
Anareen Reynolds
Aziz Rajani
Bansaree Mody
Jaikumar V
Sujith Kamath