IIM BANGALORE
 |
| BV DOSHI |
IIMB Architecture (source-iimb.ernet.in
The IIM Bangalore
campus was designed by celebrated architect B V Doshi, and is a conversation
piece amongst laypersons and professionals alike. The campus is a destination
and a pilgrimage for students of architecture and practicing architects, with
the architecture of the academic and administrative blocks becoming a case
study. Completed in 1983, the original stone architecture is now complemented
by the greenery, just as B V Doshi had intended. Here is B V Doshi in his own
words, explaining the architectural concept of the buildings:
At One with Nature -
B.V. Doshi
Emperor Akbar established
his well-known capital, Fatehpur Sikri, in the 16th century. Though, barring a few years
it remained unoccupied, it is universally appreciated for its scale, clarity,
architectural style and most significantly, for its spatial organization. Here
one discovers solutions to the now familiar problem of how to extend or add
buildings and yet, related them, and on how to ensure that all the individual
constituent parts of the complex evoke the sense of belonging to a larger
fabric. And, it is not surprising that the tools employed at Fatehpur Sikri to
simultaneously divide functions and unite the various buildings in a complex
are the same as those used in planning temples in South India .
The response is
achieved by adopting a system of major corridors for movement, along which
activity areas are disposed. And within the network of corridors, the spaces
between the activity areas become courts for extended activities. These courts
regenerate the primordial sense of continuity, growth, and the tenuous linkages
of the living environment.
In Fatehpur Sikri,
the presence of the buildings is strongly felt in spite of their being
relatively small, a factor of special interest to me. This has been made
possible by the modest relation of the building to the ground, the sky, and the
backdrop of the linking corridor, very much like the umbilical cord and the
extended family. One is separate, and yet connected, even though tenuously.
Designing the IIMB's
academic programme, which would stretch and change over the years, demanded
such an approach. Bangalore Bangalore
Because these local
elements by themselves do not necessarily touch everyone, the design also
included long, and unusually high (three storied), corridors, with innumerable
vistas of local points generating a dialogue with one's self. These corridors
are sometimes open, sometimes with only pergolas and sometimes, partly covered
with skylight. To further heighten the spatial experience, the width of the
corridors was modulated in many places to allow casual sitting, interaction or
moving forward towards one's destination or more. Access to classrooms and
administrative offices was provided through these links as well, to generate
constant activity. Owing to the varying rhythm of the solids and voids, that
is, the wall and the opening, coupled with direct or indirect natural light,
these links change in character during different times of the day as well as
the seasons, and offer the students and the faculty, the occasion to feel the
presence of nature even while they are inside. By creating such an environment,
the activities pursued within the building become enriched because they become
one with the larger total world. Architecturally, the links appear and
disappear, and this gives a sense of being and not being, wherein the actual
becomes notional. In the mornings and evenings, the sun's golden rays are
reflected in the glazed windows and the long corridors, with the main central
court surrounded by classrooms walls, giving a feeling of being in a place not
unknown to one's inner being.
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"His
observation about the power of architecture rang very true. While talking about
his design for IIM Bangalore, he spoke about how students come back years
later, and seek out their favourite hang out spaces. Or how past students
reminisce about time spent in a certain area." - Comment
in blog by Arzan Sam Wadia on a lecture by B V Doshi in New York
"Apart from the
organizational principles such as interlocking courts, pavilions, terraced
gardens and connections, the IIM-B also employs more subtle lessons about
materials and consistency of details from Fatehpur Sikri. The construction of
the entire complex is made simple and standardized using exposed concrete, lattices,
frames, and wall system using rough blocks of local gray granite." - Blog
courtesy: www.architecture-practice.com
(source_ iimb.ernet.in)
GALLERY- photos taken by the INSIGMA team
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