Praxis Business School has taken great care to create an
environment that enables and encourages learning. The campus being set
up is residential with
comfortable, single-occupancy rooms and has various well-designed informal spaces, as we
believe that learning takes place as much in informal areas and through non-classroom
interaction among students as in formal class-rooms. The formal learning centers are
state-of-the-art lecture-theatres powered with the latest audio-visual aids. The
ecological and technological aspects have been emphasized by designing an eco-friendly,
wi-fi enabled smart campus.
Spaces and forms of the campus are organized into three overlapping
functional zones:
Introspective, Interactive and Representative
Introspective spaces are introvert spaces where reflective and
self- research work is done such as library, research labs and self- study areas.
Interactive spaces are spaces where the discourse of knowledge
takes place among faculty and students through the process of interaction and meeting.
Such spaces are the formal classrooms, lecture theatres or the informal plaza or court.
Representative spaces facilitate interface between the
academia/students and the industry outside the campus. These spaces are in the form of
conference rooms, display areas and open-air theatre. Best practices of educational
facility design have been adopted to develop this organization principle into an efficient
and beautiful campus.
However I believe that to achieve a lasting quality of architecture one
has to search beyond the mere functional and physical aspects of design. Three significant
concepts are further developed in the planning and design to create a unique experience.
Creating a lasting memory
Educational campuses and buildings have the ability to inspire through
their forms and spaces. Time spent here is memorable and the built environment plays a
significant role in establishing and sustaining a lasting memory. Design of the Praxis
Business School campus attempts to create this memorable experience by establishing a
dialog between its architecture and the end users.
Recognising history and tradition
The regional characteristics of built heritage have informed the design
of open spaces and built form. Buildings have been articulated through the process of
transformation of traditional forms such as Bengal roof, temple shikhara and terracotta
finishes. The presence of water in Bengal landscape has influenced the landscape of the
open spaces where rain water is drained into water channels and pools.
Respecting environment and ecology
Praxis Business School is concerned with management principles that
respect environment and ecology. The design of the campus too respects values of
sustainable design. Water harvesting, solar energy, waste recycling and reducing the use
of energy have been adopted into the architectural design. The campus and the building
therefore reduce use of energy, preserve nature and recycle waste.
Vikram Lall
Architect
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