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| Artistic impression of proposed university campus |
Azim Premji University in the city will be the
tallest in the world with four towers of 49 storeys, two of 22 storeys,
in an 80-acre campus which is a self-contained township
Bangalore already has an enviable reputation as a higher education
hub, drawing thousands of students from across the country and even from
abroad. That distinction is set to be capped – literally speaking – by a
project to construct the tallest university in the world.
The three-year-old Azim Premji University (APU) has its sights set
on building a campus that will house towers going up as high as 49
storeys. By comparison, the highest educational high-rise elsewhere is
the 39-storey structure, called Cathedral of Learning, in Bangkok’s
Assumption University (see box) .
Planned on a sprawling 80-acre 8area between Attibele and Sarjapura
– a motorable distance from the city centre – the land procurement has
been finalised and the team of architects gave a preliminary
presentation on the project on Wednesday to the faculty members.
Four 49-storey towers and two 22-storey towers will be the crown
jewels of the campus, which will be a veritable educational township
with an administrative block, classrooms, hostels, flats for the staff,
cafeterias, libraries, auditoriums, recreation spaces, amphitheatres,
malls et al. The project will be implemented in stages over the next
8-10 years. In keeping with APU’s green mantra, the built-up area will
be no more than 30 per cent of the campus, the remainder comprising
green areas, open spaces, water bodies and pathways.
‘We don’t want to create yet another concrete jungle. Our choice
of architect was one who would go with our line of thinking, who could
merge education while designing the building. Our university is created
with a definitive purpose, to create professionals both in the education
and development sectors. The architects gave a preliminary project
presentation to the staff to elicit their responses and suggestions.
There is still some way to go in terms of finalising the plan based on
inputs, getting approvals of relevant government authorities, etc,’’
Dileep Ranjekar, CEO, Azim Premji Foundation, told Bangalore Mirror .
The campus, with a built-up area of five million sq ft, has been
designed keeping in mind the demands on the university from the increase
in the number of courses and an estimated 3,500 staff and students by
2017-18. Two towers will be exclusively for staff housing – one-,
two-and three-bedroom flats will be allotted based on the number of
members in the faculty member’s family, not on his/her seniority.
APU has roped in architect Christopher Benninger, an American
settled in India, who has made a name for himself with signature
campuses in Pune and Ahmedabad. The construction will take place in
phases – two million sq ft will be built initially at an estimated cost
of Rs 400 crore. The campus, situated 29 km from MG Road, will also
house a school for the children of the local community which, like other
schools of the Azim Premji Foundation, is likely to teach the state
syllabus.
“The primary purpose of Azim Premji Foundation schools is to
demonstrate that within the government framework, it is possible to
demonstrate good education. We will soon decide whether to have the
state syllabus or introduce CBSE in the new school,’’ said Ranjekar.
In keeping with APU’s green mantra, no fuel-driven vehicles will be
allowed in the campus. Motorised vehicles will have to be parked
outside, and one will have to hop on to eco-friendly bicycles or buggies
to commute within the campus.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/n3zd825
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