Ananya Vaidyanathan

AR3011

The Student Centre in Banaras Hindu University unites the binary of two contrasting functions of an institution - a student’s academic duties and leisure time, creating a dynamic and inclusive space.Comprising of three parts, the study and leisure spaces are bridged by a transformative space where one's interests and passions have an academic calling - a space where workshops and club meetings can happen. The student centre brings out qualities of transformative and preservative spaces, a binary that has existed in BHU over time, functionally and experientially. Spaces settle into the ground in a way that the visual directional axis towards the centre of the semicircle still continues, while, the ground between the hostels and the playgrounds is transformed into a lush, green undulating terrain with skylights emerging out of the landscape. The student Centre preserves the day-to-day activities of the students in the lawns in front of their hostels, while transforming the road in between - the bridge creates a shaded walkway beneath and a space for students to come together above.