Ahmedabad University’s Institute of Engineering and Technology | The Plan
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Ahmedabad University’s Institute of Engineering and Technology

Vir.Mueller Architects

Ahmedabad University’s Institute  of Engineering and Technology
By Francesco Pagliari -

While directly referencing the classical cloistered, academic quadrangle, the imposing building housing Ahmedabad University’s Institute of Engineering and Technology has a distinctive character of its own. The central quad is the Institute’s focal point. Its surface is divided into geometrically regular sectors at slightly different levels and separated by areas of grass and plants. High, deep porticoes enclose the court on all sides. The building’s vertical circulation system is a series of cantilevered stairs running up one side of the quad: open, concrete ramps set against the red sandstone of the west façade lending a strong architectural note to the whole project. On the upper floors, wide distribution corridors on three sides, similar to the grade-level galleries running all around the quad, connect an enfilade sequence of classrooms and offices. On the fourth, east-facing side, a series of individual loggias flush with the elevation shields rows of offices and small student rooms. 

An architectural programme of open spaces and shaded volumes effectively counters the intense climatic conditions with extreme summer temperatures. An articulated series of differently oriented red sandstone screens overlooking the courtyard and filtering the sun form a dynamic, architecturally pleasing, sculptural sequence of solids and voids. These are offset by horizontal stringcourses marking out the different levels. The overall impression is a mix of subtlety and intensity - achieved on the inside by the changing play of light and shadow created by the sun-shading elements as the day proceeds, and on the exterior, when artificial lighting turns the building into a mellow lantern.

The external west elevation is shielded by a regular series of oblique pillars; the auditorium is a separate volume whose roof is designed as a shaded terrace or “maidaan”, a paved garden.

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