Page 35 - HUDCO DESIGN AWARDS

STUDENT HOUSING AT SCHOOL OF PLANNING & ARCHITECTURE, VIJAYAWADA,
ANDHRA PRADESH

Environmental sustainability: The site being in the Krishna river basin has a hot and humid climate with temperatures
in the summer reaching 48 degrees. We have adopted the idea of traditional towns with narrow streets and courtyards
to enable passive cooling and protection from harsh solar radiation.
The lower floors are rendered porous as stilts allowing cooler air through the pre-cast block jali walls along the
peripheries. Winds are channelled through courtyards, as they funnel the air naturally. The stilts are used as common
activity spaces during hot afternoons. The middle section of the buildings has most of the student living program with
efficient circulation. The top section of the building has living and terraces which are used in the evening as the
temperature decreases. These terraces are used for evening activities of students as the weather temperatures start
to fall.
The emphasis has been on detail and the use of local materials such as Tandur stone for flooring and cladding, flyash
bricks, pre-cast block jali’s, rough-cast plaster. The furniture used has been re-purposed from their earlier campus.