Architect : Sanjay Prakash

Tapasya Block (Phase 1), Sri Aurobindo Ashram, New Delhi

Introduction
• The Aurobindo Ashram Trust (Delhi
branch) is a charitable society doing
pioneering work in various fields,
notably education, philosophy,and
culture.
• 'Tapasya', the residential building in
Sri Aurobindo Ashram-Delhi Branch
offers accommodation for the
guests who seek a spiritual life and
wish to imbibe the teachings of Sri
Aurobindo and the Mother.
• This hostel building for the ashramites, requiring medium level equilibrium
in terms of thermal and visual comfort, uses simple but effective passive
solar architectural interventions.
• Use of building-integrated solar water heating system is an innovative
feature.
• The use of non-conventional energy techniques for various purposes is
both economically and spiritually important for the philosophy of the
Ashram.
• There was a large degree of participation by the ashramites for the
construction.
• This is the first phase of an unusual building complex which shall grow to
form offices, Swimming pool, library, dining, meditation, and residential
facilities.
• In the first phase, it is planned to house around 80 people( students, visitors,
and ashramites )in a hostel like block.
 PLAN
• The rooms are laid out
around 3 hexagonal
courtyards.
• The building as it grows
will enclose one large
courtyard around which
there will be 12 such
small dodecagonal
blocks.
• The planning grid is a
space-filling grid com
posed of squares and
equilateral triangles.
Materials, techniques and methods
• Rough white finish
The building is finished in a permanent white slate, which is rough and,
therefore, has good emissivity. Being light in colour,the absorptivity is
poor.
• Deep recesses
Though the building is not orien ted because of its multifaceted
geometry, it has been provided with deeply recessed large openings On
each room towards the outside.
• Selective cross-ventilation
Each room is provided with an operable ventilator above the door on the
'inside' and large operable glazed and opaque shutters on the outside.
Both have fixed insect-netting with inward opening glazing.
• Vegetation
Lowering of temperatures is also made possible by the densely
vegetated surroundings of the campus in which this building is located.
• Courtyards
The inside courtyards are small and interlinked to encourage both
cross ventilation in rooms as well as ventilation between them.
• Daylight
All rooms have an upper fo<ed glazing to encournge 'daylight-only'
usage during the day. Small table-level windows are provided on study
desks.
Architecturally integrated hot water system
• Four thermos phonic flat-plate solar
collector systems for hot water are
provided.
• There is no electrical back-up.
• Two systems, feeding the north-side
rooms, are optimally tilted at 45
degrees.
• The other rwo systems, feeding the
south-side room.
• All systems are masonry integrated and
mounted on walls or RCC.
• All tanks are neatly placed over toilet
pipe shafts within room-like structures.
• This reduces balance-of-system costs
while providing better aesthetics in
comparison to retrofit systems.
Therefore, integra ted collectors

Performance
• The solar hot water system has worked extremely well. There is no back-up
electrical use for heating water.
• However, the large glass covers do break occasionally due to thermal
expansion . Therefore, integrated collectors should also be made in small
packs and further have a ledge in the front for ease of repair in case of
problems.
• Both these changes are being incorporated in the next building of the
Ashram.
• The thermal behavior of rooms is satisfactory for the lifestyle of the Ashram
dwellers and the building uses no devices other chan ceiling fans.