The project included designing of the iHub block (1,50,000 sq ft) along with the masterplanning of the campus. Due to the heavy program demand and enormous amount of trees on site, which later drove our design intent, the footprint of the building was spread out on the ground like a mat in a grid, covering what was left from the trees. The upper storeys then stepped back, creating terraces on all floors, for all laboratory spaces. The central part of the building was then carved out to create generous corridors with light flooding in from all sides.
In order to protect the rich biodiversity of the campus, a thorough study of the existing plant species was done, and a repository of trees being retained was created. The building specifically responded to each adjacent tree, stepping back in places to accommodate the large girths and creating shaded terraces. The facade detail reduced the effective heat gain within the building significantly, thereby reducing the energy consumption, while also bringing in enough natural light into labs.
The iHub building is designed in steel construction to minimise the impact of the foundation on tree network, so tightly woven across the site. Steel as a material also allowed for large spans inside the structure which enabled seamless laboratory spaces. The building is organised in such a way that the Labs in steel are held together and bound as a whole into one structure by the concrete service cores and atrium.
Architect,
at Hundredhands design
Bangalore, India
2018-19