The design of the IIT, Jodhpur campus was conceptualized to establish an international brand and reinforce IIT’s reputation as a world education leader. The Campus Master Plan sets out to build a totally self-sufficient, green "oasis" and fountain of knowledge in the middle of Rajasthan’s Thar Desert.
The underlying planning principle of the master plan is a radiating geometry that springs from the central step well amphitheatre that grows in the form of concentric rings to accommodate the academic and residential centre all around it within radial roads. The radial arrangement also derives from the time-honored understanding of urban density as the best sustainable solution for desert communities. It minimizes walking distances, allows for better shading, promotes a better understanding of the sun’s path and allocates more usable ‘unbuilt’ area for agriculture, solar farms and natural landscapes.
Careful attention has been paid to the principles of shading, orientation and as well as water flow. The plan is compact, dense and low rise. Buildings shade each other, shade pathways, streets and courtyards shade themselves with overhangs, louvers and jaalis. The campus acts as a living laboratory so that the students can learn various practices of sustainability while walking and being part of the campus.
