Sandra Mary Vinoy

AR2014

The Institute of Indology is conceived as an architecture of thresholds—where inside and outside blur through courtyards, level shifts, and porous edges. Located near the Ellora Caves, the design responds to the site’s natural contours and dense vegetation, embedding itself in the land rather than sitting on it. Clusters of programs wrap around trees, with spaces unfolding across levels in section, allowing for layered views and visual overlaps. Inspired by the cave’s spatial language, the design uses basalt masonry for enclosure and steel-glass interfaces for transparency. The institute is both open and introspective—spaces for learning, reflection, and preservation flow into one another through changing degrees of enclosure. The architecture offers continuity, quietude, and spatial storytelling rooted in context.