THESIS SYNOPSIS

Design School in Trivandrum

Chaitanya Krishna Kumar

Xth Semester
Reg. No.: 80901015
Manipal School of Architecture and Planning
‘Whatever good things we build end up building us.’
 -Jim Rohn

My initial thoughts about my thesis topic was to create a building or space that not only provides
shelter and meets a function but also one that shapes the users’ lives. It is an environment that shapes
the life of many people as they spend their time there and grow as individuals. This is the reason I
picked an institutional building as my thesis project as the environment in which the knowledge is
acquired leaves a mark on the individual for a long time. The space itself inspires people. This is felt
in great buildings like IIM Bangalore etc.

Introduction
My thesis topic is a design school in Trivandrum. It includes the administration, academic, canteen,
workshops, residential blocks for students and faculty and sports facilities.

Focus
The design on the master plan level has been carried out completely with focus on:
 Environments of interaction – indoor, outdoor, transitional and vertical
 Continuity and linkages of the campus
 Ambience – water bodies, levels etc
 Forms and spaces
 Detailing of elements – inspired by traditional Kerala architecture
The layout of all the blocks has been planned with main focus on academic blocks.

Methodology
1. Finalisation of thesis topic
2. Case studies
3. Site Study
4. Zoning
5. Master planning
6. Design
7. Detailing

2. Primary case studies

 National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
 Centre for Environmental Planning and Development, Ahmedabad (CEPT)
 American University of Sharjah

3. Site
It is a 26 acres site in Mangalapuram, which is about 22 km from Trivandrum city. It is
located on highway NH 66. It is adjacent to the Techno city, which is currently under
construction. This is an ideal location for an institutional building as a lot of development is
happening in this region of the city.
Out of the 26 acres, 17 acres have been used for the construction of the school, the remaining
portion has been reserved as social forestry.

 Justification for selection of site

There are more than 700 colleges for higher studies in Kerala but not a single college
dedicated to design education. There is a heavy inclination towards science and technology,
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 which has already grown substantially enough to produce qualified individuals. With a
literacy rate of around 94%, there is a need for design related courses for youngsters with a
flair for design. The current trend is for students to attend colleges in cities like Bangalore,
Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
Being the capital of the state, it has been picked as the ideal location for the first design
school of the state.

4. Zoning
The main factors that affected the final zoning of the site are:
 Access from the main road
 Slope of the site
 Orientation
 Need for segregation of academic and residential areas
 Stream that runs across the site
 Need to provide a separate identity for all departments of the college with separate entrances
and spaces.
 Need for privacy for faculty and student housing with a view of the sloping wooded area

5. Master plan
The various blocks on site are:
 Main academic block with administration section
 Academic Block 2
 Academic Block 3
 Auditorium Block with exhibition spaces
 Workshop Block
 5 hostel blocks (2 for female students, 2 for male students and 1 for faculty)
 Cafeteria
 Mess
 Sports Complex
 4 faculty housing villas

Spaces
Departments (undergraduate course):
 Interior design (20)
 Design management (10)
 Multimedia design (10)
 Visual communication (10)
 Animation (10)
 Graphic design (15)
 Product design (10)
 Textile design (10)
 Painting and printmaking (10)
 Photography (10)

Departments (postgraduate course):

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  Product design (10)
 Furniture design (10)
 Graphic design (10)
 Textile design (10)

Each department has studios, seminar halls, classrooms, computer labs, workshops etc. the
common spaces are the print room, jury halls, sketching halls and library. Each block also has a
faculty lounge.

Concept
The main concept is inspiration from traditional Kerala architecture and climate and context
responsiveness. The buildings stick to the traditional way of building with sloping roofs, courtyards
with rigid plans.

Design Process
 The first design of the master plan included one vehicular loop inside which all the academic
blocks were placed and on the outside of which all the residential blocks were placed
 Next, the drainage pattern decided the course of the stream that divided the academic zone
into two parts.
 The 3 academic blocks were placed on one side of the stream for easier access and
movement. The workshop and auditorium block were placed on the other side.
 The sports complex with basketball and volleyball courts was introduced. This became the
sports zone.
 Another road cutting through the loop was introduced for easier circulation along with a
separate private road for the faculty villas.

These changes led to the final master plan shown below.