THE URBAN NEST, NOIDA

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Hostels are like homes away from home for students. It is a place that should encourage a healthy and respectful lifestyle and a balance between studies and extracurricular activities. 

A recent study by the WHO states that India is one of the most depressed countries in the world. One in every six children and teenagers suffers from depression. In such an alarming situation, it becomes important to create space that not only improves everyday life but also improves mental health. 

One of the main ways to deal with this is to create spaces that spread positivity. Hence, green spaces and recreational spaces for congregating become important. Thus, the main aim of a green hostel is to create architecture that carefully weaves the spaces together by interconnecting each space to a garden, just like a bird’s nest on top of a tree. 

TEAM : Kapil Aggarwal, Manoj Sharma, Nishant Tyagi, Daksh Goel

The site is elongated and narrow. The concept started by creating an axis along this narrow site with meticulous placement of each unit while following the stringent bye-law like 35% permissible ground coverage. It also opens up to various cutouts and courtyards on all four sides.

The plans are formed in such a way that no two plans are the same. The plans mould themselves on the site, creating voids on all the levels in different places. These voids become the space that harvests greens and trees. Each unit or dwelling is always in the vicinity of a garden or a tree, no matter what floor you are on. 

These voids also allow cross ventilation as wind moves through the structure. The trees also help in cooling these winds and hence the whole building. This lowers the temperature in the hot climate of Noida. These voids also become spaces for informal meetings. These voids allow cross-communication between various floors and create interactive spaces. These interactive spaces are then connected through staircases, steps, and platforms. 

As the sectional perspective shows, every space opens up to another space, overlooking another open space. This also ends up in creating rooms, where each room gives out a different view. Exemplifying this further, the balconies of rooms are different in sizes, extending in and out, creating a play of platforms and views. This also organically generates a facade where each space feels as if it is jutting out of the structure.