Open Sourced design
To design an institution, we need to understand the paradigm within which the institution works. In the case of SPA, we can understand the paradigm within which it currently works. A paradigm that expresses itself spatially as an enclosed, gated set of campuses; a set of departments separated and located so that only the ‘insider’ has access; tremendous bureaucracy; and ultimately an introverted and insular organisation.Alternatively, the vision of a new SPA could incorporate the latest in academic thought and develop in one of many different ways. However, the paradigmatic manifestation of the new SPA is not something to be prescribed and engineered into an architectural design. Nor is it something stationary and fixed. We feel it is something flexible, something defined by the occupiers of the institution, something which is generated, maintained, developed and owned by all.In this context, we propose the ‘Open Sourced’ SPA. The fundamental idea behind ‘open ‘sourced’ is adaptability. We feel the new campus should be adaptable: physically, functionally, socially and environmentally. Physically it should adapt to future growth, expressed as a system that can grow with the institution. Functionally, it should adapt by minimising boundaries and maximising flexibility. Social adaptability would include generating co-presence and co-awareness in public spaces, allowing all members of the institution the chance to be aware of all others, maximising the possibility of new, useful and creative interactions. Finally, environmentally the design should adapt to its surroundings, including passive heating, cooling and ventilation systems. This ties into the theory of evolution in so far as the theory establishes that random (informal) processes generate new forms. Those forms that are successfully adapted to the environment survive to procreate and establish themselves. The non-useful forms do not survive. In this context social systems and society itself is an adaptation that creates greater security for progeny and thus allows the human race to develop successfully. Even within social systems, the same rule applies. Public space is the realm in which, through co-presence and co-awareness, new random interaction patterns develop. Those that are beneficial are reproduced through time and space and eventually become institutionalised. The scheme proposes to maximise the chance of random interactions between all stakeholders of SPA, allowing new relations and interactions to develop. Those that are beneficial and relevant to the ethos of the institution will survive and replicate, generating a responsive and adaptive environment.
Research into creative institutions like laboratories highlights the role of random, chance interactions as contributing to the greater awareness and interaction between co-workers of different disciplines, and greater usefulness of these interactions, resulting in a greater degree of productivity and creativity. This is described spatially as a high degree of correlation between local movement routes and global movement routes.
The images attached describe several characteristics of delhi.The first, global integration, describes the integration core of the city. Not surprisingly, this is not the geometric centre of the city but the administrative centre.
The second, integration radius 10 (middle scale) highlights the polycentric city, with focus on mall road on north delhi, CP, karol bagh, parts of the ring road to the south, and gurgaon.
The third, local integration radius 3, goes even further, highlighting local centres like old delhi, mall road, karol bagh, janpath, sarojini nagar, INA market, lajpat nagar, Grandlays, mehrauli badarpur road, sadar bazaar, dwarka, and NH8 in gurgaon.
The fourth, global choice map, highlights the main circulation routes and accurately picks out the ring road, patel road, shanti path, mathura road, mehrauli badarpur road and the NH8.
The fifth, step depth radius 20, highlights the catchment area of the site upto 20 changes of direction (radius=20 topological steps). This clearly demonstrates that the site is far easier accessed from delhi than from gurgaon, and at 20 steps includes the existing SPA campus within its range.

The next 3 are just some samples of different links within the site and the integration/segregation they generate. The basic idea is that integrated spaces (red) are naturally high movement spaces and if free movement is allowed will generally have not only high movement but also a greater range of users- ie old, young, male, female, HIG, MIG, LIG, etc. These lines would attract high movement land uses like retail and generally form the social hub of the system. Low integration (blue) or segregated spaces tend to have less natural movement and generally support less movement intensive uses like residential. To me we are looking at two systems. One for the local community who have limited access, but ideally should occupy a high-ish inetegrator. This would generally encourage interactions/awareness between inhabitants/visitors.The second system is for the inhabitants (includes faculty, students, admin, and authorised visitors). This system should be as shallow as possible with all inhabitants focussed around a central series of spaces, again maximising the chances of informal/chance meetings between the inhabitants. The two systems could overlap to an extent.
Doodles/ sketch scheme to follow tomorrow/Wednesday.