Our Campus

Area: 11 acres
Location: Vidyalankar Marg, Wadala (E) - 400 037.

Overview

Our entire campus has been designed by Planet 3 Studios Architecture Pvt. Ltd. Planet 3 Studios is a young, internationally award winning practice and it represents the vanguard of future-forward design in India. Founded and led by Kalhan Mattoo and Santha Gour Mattoo, the studio has evolved as a multidisciplinary practice with a rapidly growing eclectic portfolio of projects comprising institutional buildings, mixed use developments, high rise buildings, adaptive-reuse projects, housing complexes, colleges, schools, training centers, business process outsourcing facilities, corporate offices, banks, malls, retail outlets, resorts, spas, hotels, restaurants, lounges, nightclubs, furniture and even industrial products.Faculty and students have free Wi-fi and internet connectivity.

Ample space and infrastructure has been provided for research initiatives.

The enitre Campus Layout has been divided into 5 categories:

1. Land Use Pattern
2. Design Concept
3. Facilities at Campus
4. External Services
5. Landscape Proposal

The Proposed Land Use Pattern

The fundamental task of campus planning is to maintain highly functional campus facilities which support the Institute's educational and operational programs while maintaining a healthy and attractive environment for the people who study and work at Vidyalankar. Although it is impossible to anticipate long-range changes in college curriculum and enrolment, the Institute has developed a Land use Plan to manage and develop the campus to best serve operational and community needs with as much long-range vision as possible

The three main goals of the campus plan are :

• Land and Buildings

To evolve a land use and building pattern that supports the Institute's academic mission, respects the unique physical environment, encourages lively social interaction, and promotes compact, pedestrian-friendly and sustainable development

• Natural and Landscaped Open Space

To maintain and continue to evolve an open space system which protects and enhances environmentally-significant natural areas, provides safe, pedestrian-friendly links throughout the campus, and encourages social interaction through outdoor meeting places, relaxation spaces, playing fields and other outdoor recreational venues

• Travel and Parking

  

To reduce motor vehicle traffic to the campus and to encourage increased use of public transit, cycling and walking

A schematic view of the Institute campus is shown below. 12 m internal road divides campus into two zones. On the left side, is the Institute building (19,000 sqm). The campus has a big play ground suitable for holding outdoor games. The Campus has enough free space to house additional construction like a separate building for the Bio-Technology department of the Institute, Staff Quarters, hostel (studio apartment) for students and a sport complex with swimming pool facility

Diagram

Phase I

The current building has a built up area of 19000 sq m. Area requirement for current courses, new courses & courses with increased intake proposed in phase I are already covered in this constructed area.

Phase II

The Institute desires to add PG courses in phase II. Area requirements for these courses shall be met with an additional construction if required.

Phase III

The Institute proposes addition of course in Bio-Technology in this phase. It is proposed to have a separate building for this course. Construction of this building is begin soon

Design Concept

Good teachers and motivated students can overcome inadequate facilities and perform at a high level almost anywhere, but a well-designed facility can truly enhance performance and make education a more enjoyable and rewarding experience.

The Trust wanted to erect a high performance building which is :

• Healthy
• Thermally, Visually & acoustically comfortable Energy
• Material & Water efficient
• Safe and Secure Easy to maintain & Operate
• Commissioned
• Building that teaches
• Community resource
• Stimulating architecture
• Adaptable to changing needs

Buildings are a primary source of pollution that leads to urban air quality problems, climate change, habitat destruction, and overfilled landfills. The motto was to design and construct the building prudently, so that it uses a minimum of non-renewable energy, produces minimum pollution, and uses as little extracted material resources as possible, while at the same time increases the comfort, health, and safety of the people who study and work in it.

This involved integrating the project designing, planning, and engineering, in order to work with, not against nature i.e. to incorporate nature's "free" services (wind, sun, thermal properties, greenhouse principles, light, etc.) to create a high quality indoor environment while circumventing as much damage to the ambient environment as possible.

The institute desired to look beyond the default modernist box architecture. The college building had to express the will of the Institution to progress in a progressive environment, to build a campus that best embodies its cherished values.

Monumental verticality was avoided and instead the Institute decided to experiment with horizontal urbanism.

The main idea was to have an educational village built within an industrial container. This literal minded village was planned to have groupings of similar requirements in clearly definable structures with a main street as the central organizing device which would become a hospitable site for spontaneous student interactions. The institute believed that this complex plan of open public spaces, enclosed semi public places and private areas would encourage communal learning and this act of appropriation of the public spaces would become a source of cultural energy.

The Institute is of the opinion that a powerful design can affect human psyche and duly contribute to building a great Institution.

Building and Facilities at the Campus

The Institute building fulfils all the norms laid down by AICTE. The building is divided in different blocks to suit the administrative & educational requirements

• Administrative Block

Reception area, Administrative office, Accounts office,Principal's office, Trustee's office and Conference Hall

• Computer Centre and Library

Central Computing Central Library - Reference Hall & Reading Hall

• Educational Block 1

Class rooms, Tutorial rooms, Seminar Halls, Departmental Offices, Departmental Library, Staff rooms, Toilets, etc.

• Educational Block 2

Class rooms, Tutorial rooms, Seminar Halls, Departmental Offices, Departmental Library, Staff rooms, Toilets, etc.

• Educational Block 3

Class rooms, Tutorial rooms, Seminar Halls, Departmental Offices, Departmental Library, Staff rooms, Toilets, etc.

• Educational Block 4

Class rooms, Tutorial rooms, Seminar Halls, Departmental Offices, Departmental Library, Staff rooms, Toilets, etc.

• Cafeteria and Guest House

Cafeteria, Lunch room, Guest rooms and a sick room.

• Laboratories

All the Labs are located on the ground floor of the building

Facilities at the Campus

The campus offers students a vibrant and attractive setting for their studies. Facilities on the campus include Computer Centre, Library, Student Union, Food court, Gift shop, Bank, Bus links to other parts of Mumbai and a lush green playground. It is also planned to have a full fledged Sports centre with a swimming pool. The Institute has hostel facilities at its Nerul, Navi Mumbai campus

External Services

The Institute is located in central Mumbai and is well connected by road and rail. Hence students have easy access to everything they need including hospitals, shopping malls, movie theatres, sport centres etc.

Landscape Proposal

The Institute recognizes the importance of landscaping and is aware that it is the landscape and not the buildings, which on the mature campus, creates visual impact and continuity. The landscape creates vistas and provides delight. The Institute has appointed a Landscape architect. He has been briefed to preserve most (if not all) of the wooded areas.