Educational
A.N.J.A. College New Academic Block
One of the largest buildings on campus, the new academic block at A.N.J.A. College is designed around open, interconnected courtyards of various sizes. It is a response to Sivakasi's hot & dry climate and the openness desired of an educational building.
The existing buildings of ANJA College have been built over several years since their inception in the 1960s as individual blocks. The new academic block would be one of the largest buildings to be built on the campus in recent years. As such, it is also a chance to influence the masterplan and define a direction for any later additions to the campus.
Likewise, the canteen and the amphitheatre are placed
between the auditorium and library to activate the previously left-out space
into an active student hotspot close to the ‘Academic Avenue’. The canteen continues the precedent set by
the new academic block, wherein the buildings are porous and
well-connected to the outside.
Weaving a masterplan
The larger concept was to connect the individual academic blocks and student hotspots such as the canteen, the auditorium etc. with an Academic Avenue and a series of smaller public plazas. These could potentially become the face and beating heart of the campus as it expands in the future. The new academic block sets the character of the future buildings wherein the buildings are porous to the academic avenue.
A porous building
A central circulation spine connects the plaza in the academic avenue and separates the classrooms from the faculty rooms and laboratories. The classrooms are arranged around three large interconnected courtyards. The faculty rooms are separated from the central spine through several smaller courtyards. These smaller courtyards open onto the academic avenue which results in a porous building that a student can move about freely.
"The new academic block sets the character of the future buildings wherein the buildings are porous to the academic avenue."
Building for thermal comfort
Sivakasi is known for its hot and dry climate. The interconnected courtyards of various sizes allow cooled air to move through the building. Furthermore, measures such as cavity walls, deep recesses in the facades, brick jalli and screens, and rough wall finishes reduce the incident heat on the building and improve thermal comfort. A larger-than-normal roof height with clerestory lighting brings diffused lighting into the classrooms while providing passive cooling through the ‘stack effect’ ventilation.
"A larger-than-normal roof height with clerestory lighting brings diffused lighting into the classrooms while providing passive cooling through the ‘stack effect’ ventilation."
Project Details
Site
Sivakasi, Tamilnadu
Design
2022 – ongoing
Size
10,220 sq.m. ( 1,10,000 sq.ft.)
Program
Educational building
Project type
Commission
Team
Chandranesan Pownraja, Kapilan Chandranesan, Krishnakumar Mahalingam, Yamini Thaila Sridharan, Sivasakthi Baskar, Saranya Selvakumar, Aravinthan Sivakumar, Flavin Ethilton, Oviya, Deepak Madhula
Structural Consultants
Siva Structural Consultancy, Trichy
MEP Consultants
Alpha Associates, Pondicherry / Trichy
Contractor
Shree Siva Builders Private Limited, Kovilpatti