Living Bridges, a student housing project in Mumbai, is designed to move away from the typical dormitory or student hostel typology in urban settings. This traditional model fosters a regimented form of social control through the use of single-loaded corridor organizations. The challenge was to break away from the notion of stacked student housing, where there is no exchange between students, owing to the tight site constraints forcing dead vertical development as a common imagination.
Editor’s Note: “Designed by MO-OF, this student housing typology of Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute redefines typical hostel dorms. ‘Living bridges’ in the form of stairs establish a seamless connection between indoors and outdoors. Architectural elements including voids, breathable facades, and double-height viewing decks offer a serene environment amidst the urban setting.” ~ Anusha Sridhar
This Student Housing Redefines Traditional Dormitory Typology | MO-OF
To respond to these, a conscious design framework was introduced. Thereby, facilitating opportunities for an active social and cultural life to flourish.
The design creates living bridges that integrate circulation and sequentially connect different collective programs within the hostel’s horizontal voids.
Placing common programs such as the study rooms, pantry, audio-visual room, gym, indoor games areas, and computer rooms on different floors adjacent to the stairs and overlooking the inner street formed by the stacked corridors accelerated the interaction of students across multiple floors. Thus, making it vibrant and socially sustainable.
Moreover, the other element was to establish the connection of this new hostel block with the surrounding building and playground on the existing campus site.
This achievement extends the podium level into a double-height viewing deck that overlooks the grounds. Consequently, the podium floor of the building functions as a 24-hour living courtyard.
The student dining and kitchen embed into the ground floor, while a few voids of the podium overlook them.
As the kitchen would need high serviceability, it has been kept away from student activities in the building on the ground floor closer to the back entrance.
Breathable façades Sustainability plays a prime role in the design of the hostel. Additionally, the west and east façades act as sunbreakers and screen the glass windows of the student rooms.
The need for a screen primarily arises with an intent to respond to climate needs and provide cross ventilation to every room.
However, the design of the screen in itself becomes an expression of the school, becoming a characteristic that one sees from afar while approaching the VJTI campus by road.
The south side of the building forms a welcoming entrance with an amphitheatre and multiple seating areas overlooked by the suspended TV room and terraces above. The play of volumes as a solid mass and voids is designed to not only respond to the views and provide climatic responses but also become social landmarks.
Fact File
Designed by: MO-OF
Project Type: Institute Design
Project Name: Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute Student Housing
Location: Mumbai
Year Built: 2023
Project Size: 107639.1 Sq.ft
Design Team: Sudipta Iyer, Jugal Ahuja, Akshay Aditya, Kunal Mokasdar, Sanket Kamdar, Manan Vikram, Yash Salian
Photograph Courtesy: Niveditaa Gupta
Executing Agency: Public Works Department
MEP Consultant: Arkk Designs
Structural Engineers: Kelkar Design Private Limited
Quantity Surveyors: Dongre Associates
Contractors: Shubham EPC Pvt Ltd
Source: Archdaily
Firm’s Website Link: MO-OF
Firm’s Instagram Link: MO-OF
For Similar Project >>> Nursing College Envisions To Serve As An Active Educational Institute
This bungalow style house influences the site context and can be visualised in multiple facades of sharp edges & cuboidal form. Her,e salient features like U-Projection are an expression of the bench on a level one. The house divides itself into three bays. On the ground floor, where first bay acquire all public activities like […]
Imagine yourself on the terrace of your hidden mountain retreat, drinking a fresh cup of coffee as you admire the sunrise emerging from behind the rolling hills across the valley. This serene atmosphere is exactly what Hello Wood’s latest project, the Console House, is designed to offer. The Console House showcases modern architecture design while […]
As cities continue to grow and evolve, there is a growing desire to incorporate elements of rural living into urban design. By embracing rural living principles, cities can create more eco-friendly and sustainable spaces. Rural living is not just about wide-open spaces and rolling hills. It’s also about community, sustainability, and a connection to nature. […]
Located in the thriving city of Ichalkaranji, this is an example of luxury residences is a seamless blend of timeless elegance and modern sophistication. The striking exterior, adorned with brick and natural stone cladding, exudes warmth, character, and permanence. These rich textures create a visually captivating façade, harmonizing tradition with contemporary design while making a […]
Throughout history, stone has embodied permanence, artistry, and raw beauty in architecture. From the grandeur of Roman amphitheaters to the earthy elegance of modern villas, stone remains a beloved material for its strength, sustainability, and aesthetic richness. As design trends evolve toward natural materials, eco-conscious decisions, and biophilic design, stone has found new expressions — […]
The space adopts a biophilic office design and climate-responsive approach, creating a workspace that reimagines urban interiors by deeply embedding them with nature. The style is earthy, minimal, and modern with a strong contextual sensitivity to its location. Also, a lush canopy surrounds the bare-shell site on the first floor, allowing for abundant daylight and […]
The design started from an old house where a family of seven stood, one yet to be born. Hari & Sreelakshmi, Usha-Hari’s mother, Malathi, teacher, Hari’s grandmother, kids, Sankari, Paru, and yet to be born Sreebala. Four generations living in a 60-year-old house that had begun to show its age with dimly lit rooms, leaking […]
The clients’ requirement was to create a wellbeing centre at Oleander Farms, Karjat, Maharashtra, that would be a tranquil sanctuary for their visitors. Walking through a dense canopy of trees, hearing the soft chirping of birds, we slowly embarked on an expanse of a 2-acre of land that was both open yet heavily tree-laden. This […]
The thought was to create a space which would act as a formal real estate workspace in the daytime and a family retreat in the evening. By its name, as it is, ‘Leveled. This office with a garden is defined using levels, in terms of volumes, surfaces as well as edges. These levels are rationalized […]
Nirmay (निर्मय) reflects purity and holistic well-being. Envisioned as a quiet sanctuary amidst the noise of urban life, these courtyard villas offer a way of living that is calm, conscious, and deeply connected to the land. Rooted in sustainability and ecological harmony, the design responds to both nature and the everyday rhythms of its inhabitants. […]