Art Lab
ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL
Location: Chandigarh, India
Organization: Planners Group, India
Team: Vikram Malik, Rishabh Babbar, Saloni Sehgal
Role: Design Lead
Art Lab is a Campus that by virtue of its design is geared towards creating an environmentally responsive passive habitat.
The institute aims to create interactive spaces for a highly creative student body to work in multi-functional zones which blend indoors with the outdoors seamlessly.
The radical architecture of the institute emerges from a fusion of the rich traditional building knowledge bank and cutting-edge contemporary architecture.
Given the nature of an institution, budgetary constraints on the project necessitated the use of cost-effective design solutions to keep within the price points set by the client and yet be able to achieve the desired functionality and effect.
Design Genesis
The design takes the organization of public spaces within the overall campus as a starting point.The conventional quadrangle typology for university campuses is re-interpreted here, to form a lively vertical quad system.
Abundant semi-outdoor spaces regulate the micro-climate of the building, while the thin-slab typology maximizes the potential of natural ventilation.
Self shading courts keep the solar ingress out and control the temperature of internal spaces ,whilst allowing for sufficient day lighting inside studios and classrooms.
The lowest floor of the building, the underbelly is able to moderate ambient temperatures with water, shade and vegetation.
The palette of materials include stone, glass and concrete.
The building is wrapped in a double skin consisting of fritted screens 1.2 meters away from the inner walls.
Central Courtyard with elevated floating library and exhibition space on stilts, while the void below is used for performances, informal display of student work, social interactions etc.
The west façade has angled fins to minimize sun exposure and embrace the ambient north-light.
The scheme relies on self shading sliver courts to control the temperatures of internal spaces and open stepped wells while allowing for sufficient day lighting inside studios and class rooms.
Densely and carefully placed exterior shading devices efficiently cut down the heat gain.
The semi-autonomous yet interdependent relationship among the studios can be visualized in this vertical campus - a shared public level is sandwiched in between two studio spaces. Conference room, brain-storming area, exhibition space, study rooms, cafés and other facilities can all be found in these shared levels.
Central Courtyard with elevated floating library and exhibition space on stilts, while the void below is used for performances, informal display of student work, social interactions etc.
Social voids interjected between studios and classrooms for relief space.
Construction Details
Elevated Library Detail
Void Spaces connected through series of staircases.
Cross-sectional detail through the student academic area
