Efficient and Comfortable Hostel Designs
Efficient and Comfortable Hostel Designs
Hostels Projects
We design hostel spaces that maximize comfort, functionality, and community. Our focus is on efficient layouts, essential amenities, and creating a safe, welcoming environment for all residents.
YOUTH HOSTEL, ROPAR, 1991
The youth hostel building on a 2.5-acre plot in Ropar, Punjab has been constructed on the national highway near the Nehru Stadium. Completed in 1991, this hostel has 1100 square meters of covered area. The form of the building has been designed to complement the exuberant energy of youth.
The double-storey building is a compact, cross-shaped structure with a sloping and projecting roofscape. For achieving a comfortable indoor environment, sufficient cross-ventilation has been ensured. The windows are well protected by roof overhangs. Planned on rigid geometry, the building has a slanting roof coupled with rainwater spouts on the four corners.
YOUTH HOSTEL, SANGRUR, 1991
Youth Hostel, Sangrur, is situated on a flat site of 1.75 acres in the heart of Sangrur city of Punjab, opposite the famous War Hero Stadium. The building has a compact and form-oriented design. An unfolding hexagonal form with extended wings has evolved. The hostel accommodates 48 youths and two leaders, besides other facilities. The varied requirements of three different wings are fused into one structure, creating a sunken hexagonal lounge within it. The double-height lounge has been built to visually link both floors.
Conical skylights suffuse the interior of dormitories with natural light. The design is conceived to attain quality light by restrained openings obstructing the glare without sacrificing ventilation. Skylights at the top not only lit the lounge but also acted as vents for hot air to escape and keep the building cool.
YOUTH HOSTEL, JASHIPUR, 1993
Jashipur is a town in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. The Youth Hostel is located adjacent to the sanctuary, at the foot of Similipal Hills on the bank of River Khairi; the place is a dreamland of nature.
Situated on a two-acre site on the outskirts of the city, the building is located in a remote place where building activity has not reached the desired level. Therefore, detailing was kept simple and executed by untrained masons. The architects’ objective was to design this hostel like a home and create ideal conditions for a comfortable stay. To achieve this, the plan form incorporates octagonal modules joined together like a beehive. Some units are omitted to create courtyards.
YOUTH HOSTEL, CHURULIA, 1994
Churulia is the birthplace of the famous Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. The Youth Hostel is located on a 1.3-acre site near Nazrul Academy in Churulia. The double-storey building is designed around two interlocking open-to-sky courts. An independent corridor running diagonally through these courts provides access to the habitable areas. The internal courts not only facilitate sufficient cross-ventilation but also act as focal points to promote interaction among the users.
Churulia falls in the warm and humid region of India. Architects have attempted to resist heat gain by decreasing the exposed surface area by employing proper orientation and shape of the building. Providing balconies, verandas, shading devices and increasing surface reflectivity considerably helped to resist heat gain. The courtyard and arrangement of windows increase the air exchange rate that causes heat loss.
YOUTH HOSTEL, BURDWAN, 1996
Built in 1995, the youth hostel is located on a 0.7-acre site abutting the Burdwan-Suri link road near the Sports Complex of Burdwan in West Bengal. The site is flat and featureless. The shape of the plan has been evolved to suit the irregular profile of the site. Each function is reflected in the external expression of the building. Hence the building is truthful to the dictum of ‘form follows function’.
The building is partially double-storeyed. The residential portion has been accommodated in the double-storey, while the public areas are limited to the single-storey. The residence has a separate courtyard and entry from the rear to ensure privacy. The terrace on the single-storey portion is made available to residents of the first floor to enjoy the outdoors. The design ensures sufficient cross-ventilation to suit the hot and humid climatic conditions of the region.
YOUTH HOSTEL, PATIALA, 1996
Ministry of Human Resources has funded the construction of a Youth Hostel building on a 2.5-acre site in Patiala. The Central Public Works Department undertook the construction work. The double-storey building with 930 square metres of built-up area provides accommodation for 48 youths along with two leaders.
The hostel is meant to encourage youngsters to explore tourist destinations in Patiala. The quality of light, an important design element, is achieved by controlling openings and vaulted projections, which mute the glare without sacrificing light and ventilation. In the plan, all the requirements are arranged around a double-height lounge, which visually links both floors.
HOSTELS FOR NIT, KURUKSHETRA, 2004
NIT, Kurukshetra, was set up in the year 1963. The site extends over an area of 300 acres. The campus has been organized into three functional sectors; hostels for the students, institutional buildings and a residential sector for the staff. Hostels for students are located towards the eastern side of the campus in the form of clusters. With the increase in the intake of students of the NIT, the requirement of the hostels has also increased. Therefore, three new hostel blocks for boys were proposed. The new boys’ hostels are well connected to the campus and the hostel zone. The four-storey hostels have large, well-lit corridors connecting the four modules of the hostels. The hostel blocks have interactive spaces where students can congregate and exchange ideas.
The hostels were designed for students of post-graduation. In order to promote interaction on every floor, sufficient nooks and corners are provided where students can comfortably halt and talk to each other without disturbing the circulation. A large dining hall is at the rear end, connected through an all-weather covered corridor.
