Ornithology Campus Design
Site located next to TG Halli dam also called Chamrajsagar which is 35 km west of Bangalore, India. The brief was to design an Ornithology campus. Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns with the “methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them”. Since the site is located in such a ecological and cultural sensitive area, it was key to maintain the sanctity even with built forms.
The existing site features accommodate an abandoned water treatment plant. Four circular tankers of 30m diameter. They had to be re-purposed and involved into the design. Using nature as a grid, the atmosphere of bird magnetism needed to be the concept highlight. Camouflaging the built with green terraces, foliage, path nests created an attractor point.
Spatial circulation zoning was done in a way that it kept footfall to the minimum throughout the campus. Each block was conceptualized as a shell with a lot of fenestrations. An easy movement from outdoors and indoors and not clear boundaries was an important factor. Volume couldn’t rise above two storeys hence form was kept minimal. The cubic and rectilinear structures helped having a straight roofing which was all turned into green roofs.
The tankers were designed to be a mimic towards the diverse vault of plants and conifers. An architectural site element designed is a bridge running over the tankers and overlooking the forest. This space is ideal for birdwatching and observation. It connects to the bike and walk trial which runs across 70% of the site. Since the site is also heavily contoured, design positioning path nests at lower points to entice avifauna was also incorporated in macro zoning.
