Image credit: Vinay Panjwani
Sanjay Puri Architects has completed a new academic building for Prestige University in Indore, India. Located within a 32-acre campus, the 90-foot-high structure consolidates the university’s main administrative offices, auditorium, seminar halls, library, and cafeteria into a single five-level facility.
Image credit: Vinay Panjwani
Image credit: Vinay Panjwani
Rather than presenting a singular facade, the building rises gradually from the northern side, forming a series of stepped terraces. The entire roofscape is accessible to students and faculty, functioning as an open-air auditorium with capacity for up to 9,000 people. In total, 463 stepped platforms create a 90,000-square-foot rooftop garden.
Image credit: Vinay Panjwani
Image credit: Vinay Panjwani
Internally, the scheme is organized across five floors. Public facilities, including the auditorium, food court, and administrative offices, occupy the ground level. Library spaces are located on the first floor and connected by a bridge spanning a diagonal internal street that runs through the building. Classrooms are distributed across the second and third floors, while additional administrative and faculty areas are housed on the fourth floor. Landscaped courtyards punctuate the plan, introducing indirect natural light and facilitating ventilation.
Image credit: Vinay Panjwani
Image credit: Vinay Panjwani
The design of the scheme references India’s historic stepped wells, which traditionally served both infrastructural and social functions. Climatic strategies respond to Indore’s extended periods of high temperatures. North light, open courts, and a continuous internal circulation spine support passive cooling and daylighting, while ventilated GFRC screens on the east, west, and south facades reduce heat gain.
Image credit: Vinay Panjwani
Image credit: Vinay Panjwani
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