An National Open Design competition to masterplan the new campus for the SPA, at a new site in South Delhi.
What attracted us to the site was its green cover, and a huge cayon possibly left after the widespread quarrying that plagued the Southern Ridge of Delhi. Retaining the green cover within the canyon as a mark and tribute to the ridge that continues to connect the many cities and histories of Delhi, the design finds its seeds in the depth and response to the canyon.
The design treats the site as a landscape for learning, a garden egded walls that are reminiscent of mughal and pre-mughal Delhi. The walls house a vertical program of studio spaces, that are interchangable and flexible on the city face, and on the southern edge they house the student hostels and dining facilities. In the space between these walls is carved out the landscape for learning, low lying buildings of fixed program interspersed in the landscape amidst paths and walk ways through lightly wooded tracks, that have areas of student activity and sport. The design seeks to transform the site into alandscape for learning and engagement.
The design is strongly biased to pedestrain traffic, and discourages the use of motorvehicles within. It also moves away from the standard formats of axies and heirarchal spatial structure, to arrive at a more democratic and liberating environment. Special attention is paid to the sun, espcially in locating the entrance of the academic complex through a court on the edge fo the canyon, and on the south face fo the academic block
