The Convention Center is part of the comprehensive campus development of the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH), developed through collaboration between the Japanese government and IITH, with the design led by the IITH Campus Design Team at the University of Tokyo.
For universities engaged in cutting-edge research, the ability to host large-scale international conferences on campus is a crucial factor in maintaining academic competitiveness. For facilities of this kind, the quality of a conference depends not only on formal sessions, but also on how participants spend their breaks and post-conference time, and on whether meaningful informal exchanges can occur.
To accommodate a wide range of spaces of different sizes and functions, the Convention Center is conceived as a village composed of fourteen independent houses, each with a distinctive role. The largest house contains the main conference hall, while the smallest houses only a single elevator; two houses are reserved as open courtyards. Each house is wrapped by deep eaves, an important element of traditional Indian architecture. Gaps between facing houses allow limited daylight to penetrate the complex.
Circulation between the houses is organized through shaded passages beneath the eaves and a network of sky alleys at the second-floor level. These transitional spaces are not air-conditioned. In a climate where most of the year- from October to June- is dry season, thermal comfort can be achieved through shading and natural ventilation, even at high temperatures.
Team:
Design
Architecture: IITH Campus Design Team of University of Tokyo (schematic design)
Responsible: Yozo Fujino (team leader), Hidetoshi Ohno (design director), Kohei Oshima, Kazutaka Tonomura, Rumi Kimura (architectural design), Junko Tamura (administration)
Nihon Sekkei (design development, support for schematic design)
Responsible: Ken Endo*, Yoshiyuki Tobe, Yoshiki Nishimoto, Mikako Oshima (former employee, same below)
APL design workshop (design development, support for schematic design)
Responsible: Hideki Eguchi, Yohei Ikai
Structure:
IITH Campus Design Team of University of Tokyo (structural advisor)
Responsible: Atsushi Sato
Nihon Sekkei
Responsible: Hideo Kobayashi, Koji Nishikawa, Yoko Imatomi*, Yasutaka Tanaka*
Building Services: Nihon Sekkei
Responsible: Shuzo Ishikawa*, Noboru Tamamura, Yosuke Otani, Shigeki Hario
Supervision: HCP (including preparation of tender documents)
Construction
Architecture: L&T Technology Services
Materials Used:
Structure
Main structure: Reinforced concrete
Building Services
Environmental considerations
Air conditioning system
System type: Large/high-ceiling spaces: single-duct air conditioning system (occupied zone system) / individual rooms: fan coil unit system
Heat source: chilled water supplied from campus central plant
Plumbing
Water supply: two systems from campus infrastructure (potable water and recycled water), gravity-fed system using receiving tank + booster pump + elevated tank
Drainage: separate indoor system for sewage and greywater, combined outdoor system, discharged to campus main sewer
Electrical
Power supply: two low-voltage lines, 3-phase 4-wire 415V (from campus substation)
Backup power: low-voltage 3-phase 4-wire 415V (emergency generator at campus substation)
Fire protection
Fire extinguishing: sprinklers + indoor fire hydrants
Exterior finishes
Roof: asphalt waterproofing over concrete + XPS insulation + protective concrete layer
External walls: exposed concrete with water-repellent coating, AAC blocks with mortar trowel finish and paint
Openings: aluminum sash
Interior finishes
(Main hall)
Floor: carpet
Walls: painted mortar finish, perforated gypsum board with paint (glass wool with glass cloth backing)
Ceiling: mineral wool acoustic panels
