Center for Inclusive Growth & Competitiveness for TAPMI

Manipal, a coastal town shaped by its rich academic legacy, has rapidly grown from a modest settlement into a dense educational hub where students comprise nearly half the population. As the city expands, its urban fabric has become increasingly rigid, leaving few social or open spaces for its young, floating community. The TAPMI Centre for Sustainability responds to this imbalance by reimagining what an academic building can mean within such a context—shifting it from a purely functional block to a shared cultural and social anchor that enriches everyday life on campus.

Nestled within TAPMI’s 40-acre hilltop residential campus, the centre occupies a compact site overlooking forested valleys and framed by roads that curve along the terrain. Though modest in footprint, the location offers a powerful dialogue between built form, landscape, and community. While the client’s brief called for classrooms, administration, workshops, and a small café across two levels, the design team sought to push beyond these requirements to create a building that could redefine academic space for Manipal. This shift in thinking encouraged an approach rooted in inclusivity, porosity, and cultural resonance.

A key design strategy involved activating the terrace, an element typically underutilized in high-rainfall regions. By introducing a protective canopy inspired by the bamboo chhatris of Varanasi, the designers transformed it into a flexible social landscape. Crafted in collaboration with skilled artisans, these parasol-like structures symbolize cultural continuity while offering climate-responsive utility. The stepped terrace connects seamlessly to the land, culminating in Angala—an open amphitheatre that blends into the adjoining road, inviting spontaneous gatherings and enhancing campus life.

The architecture dissolves boundaries through ramps, bridges, and open edges that stitch the building into its surroundings. With no main door or rigid thresholds, the centre functions as an accessible, democratic node that remains active long after academic hours. Material choices emphasise raw tactility and continuity, allowing structure, architecture, and interiors to flow into one another. Ultimately, the TAPMI Sustainability Centre proposes a future-forward model for academic environments—non-linear, community-oriented, and deeply rooted in context—where learning, culture, and everyday interactions coalesce in a space designed to evolve with its people.