TATA Institute of Research Campus – Concept Design Proposal

  • Location: Hyderabad, India

  • Type: Institutional Campus – Research & Learning Environment

  • Role: Lead Architect (Concept Pitch)

  • Duration: 2 Months

  • Status: Competition Runner-Up (Selected Ideas Being Implemented at YASHADA Campus, Pune)

I led the concept design for a new research campus for the TATA Institute in Hyderabad — a competition entry that brought together visionary architecture, environmental resilience, and social design principles.

In collaboration with an engineering firm and a 5-member architectural team, we developed a comprehensive design and presentation package over two months. Our submission earned us a runner-up position among India’s top architectural firms, with our ideas later influencing the design of YASHADA’s new campus in Pune.

Credits: 3d modelling & rendering done by me

Design Vision

The campus was envisioned as more than a research facility — it aimed to become a self-sustaining, community-centric micro-ecosystem that challenged traditional institutional layouts.

Key Design Principles:

  • Decentralized Clusters: A network of learning pods and research hubs promoting collaboration and cross-disciplinary exchange

  • Ecological Integration: Designed around natural topography, native landscape preservation, and passive climate control

  • Sustainable Systems: Rainwater harvesting, waste-to-resource systems, and solar power integration

  • Social Infrastructure: Community courtyards, open-air amphitheaters, and maker spaces for knowledge-sharing

  • Experimental Architecture: Blending regional typologies with minimal environmental footprint through modular and scalable forms

My Contributions

  • Initiated and led the full concept development and narrative

  • Managed a cross-disciplinary team of 5 architects and engineering partners

  • Designed visual storytelling, master plan ideation, and key elevations

  • Created presentation materials for the Mumbai tender review

  • Proposed experimental architectural elements — some of which will now be implemented in YASHADA’s Pune campus

  • Advocated for a new model of research campuses: blending autonomy, sustainability, and place-based design

Results & Takeaway

This project pushed me to reimagine how institutional design can break norms. Although we were runners-up, our design was recognized for its radical ecological strategy and collaborative layout. Seeing those ideas adopted in another campus is deeply rewarding — it proves that design thinking can move projects forward even beyond competitions.

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