Rethinking institutionscapes: an architecture + design school in Chandigarh/

Abstract

Chandigarh’s modernist legacy, a testament to architecture as a sociocultural catalyst, anchors this thesis in reimagining how built environments can dynamically shape architectural pedagogy. Confronting a global dissonance between theoretical instruction and experiential learning—a schism amplified in India by rigid institutional frameworks—this project proposes a radical reconfiguration of the architecture school itself. Situated within Educity, Sarangpur’s 86-acre residential campus, the proposed Architecture and Design College transcends conventional academic models by conceptualizing the “institutionscape” as a living ecosystem: one where spatial design, pedagogical evolution, and ecological stewardship coalesce to redefine architectural education. The design synthesizes Chandigarh’s disciplined planning ethos with contemporary imperatives of flexibility and student agency. A meticulous site analysis, honouring natural drainage patterns, topographic contours, and biodiversity, informs a tiered academic core elevated at the site’s zenith, minimizing ecological disruption while framing pedagogic spaces as vessels of contextual awareness. The campus employs an adaptable grid that interlaces academic, residential, and recreational zones. Mezzanine layers, interlocking volumes, and mutual shading strategies dissolve rigid boundaries, fostering fluid intersections between studios, workshops, and critique spaces that mirror the interdisciplinary pulse of design practice. The campus design weaves spatial progression with pedagogical intent, where collaborative first-year studios evolve into specialized workshops and critique pods, mirroring students’ intellectual journey. Daily life and learning merge through residential clusters interlaced with green corridors, lakeside terraces, and courtyards, while materiality honours Chandigarh’s Brutalist identity through textured concrete and climate-responsive innovation. Beyond form, the project champions adaptability: modular units and open-air amphitheatres decentralize learning, transforming the institution into a dynamic “laboratory of context” where theory materializes, equity is spatialized, and students become agile practitioners. By reimagining education as an evolving dialogue between legacy and possibility, this thesis envisions institutions not as rigid containers but as living ecosystems—responsive, inclusive, and daring enough to shape futures as fluid and boundless as the minds they nurture. Keywords: Architectural Pedagogy, Institutionscape, Living Ecosystem, Spatial Design, Modular Adaptability, Chandigarh’s Modernist Legacy