Mahindra UWC, Pune
Location: Located 40 kilometres to the west of Pune, a city which in turn is about 100
kilometres
southeast of Mumbai. It is a self sufficient campus. Its spreads over 170 acres.
Architects
Benninger Christopher & Associates, Pune, India
Commission
:1995
Design
1996-1998
Construction
1996-1999
Occupancy
1997
Site area
627285 Sq m
Ground floor area: 10575 Sq m
Total floor area
10775 Sq m
•The building are a reflection of the mountains surrounding the
campus.
CONCEPT
•A miniature model reflecting the jagged contours.
•Continuity and harmony achieved through consistency between
the architectural language and environment
LAYOUT PLANNING Entire site divided into academic and residential
connected by a walkway
ACCESS
MAIN
RESIDENTIAL
SERVICE
PEDESTRIAN FROM RESIDENTIAL
BUFFER
•The academic wing can be accessed
from two roads.
•By the main road at entrance or by the
pedestrian walkway linking the academic
wing to the residential wing.
•The building blocks are placed
correspondence to the site slope in a
terraced, clustered, arrangement.
•The academic wing and residential wing
are physically separated by a forest land
which act as the partition between the two
worlds
ACADEMIC BLOCK Entrance is through the mahadwara
SITE PLAN
ACADEMIC QUADRANGLE
•It encircles a garden court.
•Quadrangle and class rooms are
linked by glass doors.
•So each classrooms thus connected
to its own garden or courtyard.
•The quadrangle is linked by an
encircling, low covered walkway.
•This space is detached from the
stone walls except where it connects
to classrooms.
•The ceiling of the walkway cast with a
'Sacred' river mural running a
complete circle around the quadrangle
CATERING CENTRE
•Is triangular waffle slab was designed to avoid
columns.
•Verandas and service area allow more variety in
a complex angular composition.
•A sloping Mangalore tile roof and a ventilation
tower offer visual accent to this complex
structure.
SCIENCE CENTRE
•Designed around a square geometry
preparation rooms servicing two laboratories
on each side of covered internal walkways.
•A large circular cut out opens to the sky in a
central quadrangle.
•The entrance porch and the student's space
near the corner, also have circular cut outs,
creating a sequence.
•The rigidity of the square is used as a counter
point against the free forms in the other
structures
ADMIN BLOCK
•Includes offices for the headmaster, directors, a board
room, faculty room, and others.
•A square shape of board room reflects the shape of
the science centre.
•It is anchored to a corner position by a glass passage
and is turned askew, creating two small courtyards.
•Composition focus on an atrium segregated from
administrative functions by a turning glass wall.
•The building uses sloped Mangalore tile roofs, stone
towers and basalt masonry walls
AMPHITHEATRE
•Its a strong connecting element
linking the Academic quadrangle
with the Multi purpose hall.
•The stage like design ensure that
physical beauty proportionately
with beautiful ideas in a place of
learning
MULTIPURPOSE HALL
•Covered by high ceiling composed of 160
triangular coffers set within
10 larger triangles defined by structural
beams.
•There are 10 skylights in these that generate
a hierarchy.
•Four utility towers, sloped roofs over
verandas reflect the landscape. And tie this
large structure in with the scale
LIBRARY
•Triangular composition on two levels
focussed in on a glass atrium.
•The lower floor of the reading room uses
the natural gradient, thus it a generous
space.
•Parallel beams, aligned with the main
wall, alternately hold skylights and
fluorescent lights.
•The corners of the triangle form the
reading room, computer centre and
stacks.
•Circular columns supporting the beams
are used visually to demarcate spaces
•Slit windows diffuse light into the interior.
ART CENTRE
•The three studios of the art centre fly out
from a central courtyard.
•Studios for multimedia work like a
painting, printmaking, and sketching.
•There is office room, store room, a small
pottery court and kiln tucked into the
composition.
•The studios are composed of tandem
walls sloping up to large glass windows.
•These studios are joined to a low veranda
which wraps around a planted courtyard,
stepping down to the mountain edge
RESIDENTIAL BLOCK
•Design of student centre
based on folded retaining wall.
•The wall folds into 6 vertical
light shafts, reaching up into
the sky. Each shaft holds a
room, or a large activity niche.
•Large skylights are cupped in
the stone shafts.
