IMI Bhubaneswar aims at bridging the gap between the past and present socio-cultural experiences. Odisha is a state widely known for its historically rich architecture. The design team have attempted to recreate them in a modern setting to remember the roots, yet grow with time.
Keeping in mind the extreme tropical summer temperatures, the buildings have been designed and oriented on site to minimize heat gain to reduce electro-mechanical energy. A lot of attention has been paid to the spatial quality of the central plaza as it is the interactive node of the campus.
A central water court acts as a natural cooling pool. An iconic tower in the centre of the plaza performs as a wind breaker while assisting evaporative cooling. Rain water harvesting measures have been employed while these water bodies act as catchment areas catering to the dual purpose of water conservation as well as controlling micro climate of the area.
Locally available laterite and khondalite has been extensively used thus minimising energy spent in transportation. The central stepped plaza has been designed entirely using solid laterite blocks. The library block has been strategically placed to cast shadows over the plaza at different times of the day thus creating comfortable outdoor spaces in the heat. To cut down heat absorption substantially, large overhangs have been integrated in the design to create huge shadows over the buildings and the outdoor spaces.
The atrium of the library block has been pushed outside with an inclined glass box to invite natural light in, reducing the need for artificial lighting. Daylight analysis reveals that the design of interior spaces allows for optimum daylight penetration with the aid of this huge glass wall. Moreover low VOC paints have been extensively used keeping in mind the indoor air quality and the public health.
Fact File:
Project: International Management Institute, Bhubaneswar
Location: Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Architectural Firm: Abin Design Studio
Team: Abin Chaudhuri, Jui Mallik, Koushik Majumder, Palash K Santra, Angshujit Mazumder
Client: International Management Institute
Consultants:
Structural: SPA Consultants, Poseidon Engineering
Plumbing: Unique Consultants
Electrical: APJ Projects
HVAC: Pradip Dutta
Landscape: Supermode Gardening
Interior: Abin Design Studio
Contractors:
Structural and Civil: Mfar Constructions
Built-up area: 11,000 sqm
Year of completion: 2011
Project Cost: 2.1 Crores
Company names of products/materials used (such as tiles, flooring, wall, false ceiling etc.):
Laterite and Khondalite: Locally Sourced
Flooring: Nitco, Kajaria
False Ceiling: Armstrong
Walls: Asian Paints
Glass: Saint Gobain