A
TWO-STOREY food court across 16,000 sq ft for Rs. 74 lakh; a 33,000-sq
ft Mechatronics block at Rs. 2 crore; 9,600-sq ft alumni guest
house at Rs. 75 lakh; women's hostel extension work at Rs. 1.2
crore; an open auditorium for Rs. 95 lakh and much more. The total
area under construction is 2,57,300 sq ft - which will add to
the existing 11.18 lakh sq ft. The total project costs Rs. 11.34
crore. This massive addition of concrete space is in just one
education institution - Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai.
Several projects
Like this college, constructions are under way at several engineering
and arts and science colleges, and schools as well, across the
State, though not in such a big way.
Such large-scale constructions at education institutions
mean good business for builders and architects, who say a substantial
percentage of their income comes from education institutions.
For instance, take Erode's URC Constructions Pvt.
Ltd., a well-known building firm whose clientele includes Indian
Institute of Science and Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore;
American College in Madurai; Arsha Vidya Mandir in Chennai among
others. The company is at present raising structures in nine institutions,
costing several crores.
Likewise, R. Rangasamy and Co. is working on more than half-a-dozen
institution projects costing more than Rs. 70 crore. Majority
of these are engineering colleges. The volume of trade from education
institutions, the builders say, is high because almost all institutions
allocate a considerable sum every year for infrastructure development.
According to C. Devarajan of URC Constructions, many engineering
colleges spend about Rs. 5 crore a year on buildings, and medical
colleges, Rs. 10 crore. Young institutions spend around Rs. 20
crore a year in the first five years.
Broader picture
Look
at the broader picture in the State, he says. "Assuming that
an engineering college spends Rs. 5 crore a year, the budget of
the 230-odd engineering colleges works to around Rs. 1,150 crore
- a big, big pie for the builders to grab a share!" he adds.
"They are the engines of the construction
industry's growth," says R.R. Sathyamurthy of R. Rangasamy
and Co. About 80 per cent of his income is through constructions
for education institutions.
But then, the builders have been having it this
good only in the recent past. "There has been a steady increase
in business from education institutions in the last two years,
which probably has to do with their increasing awareness in marketing
the institution better," he says.
Not all of these constructions are classrooms,
though. It varies from a lab, canteen to students' hostel, faculty
quarters. Sometimes, it is construction of a new institution or
a branch of an existing one.
To construct each of these additional facilities,
institutions rope in the services of architects to have customised
buildings, designed aesthetically.
"From floor finishing, white boards to modular
switches, institutions pay attention to detail, and do not mind
spending," he says. This penchant for quality - unmindful
of the expenditure - has helped architects.
Intellectual climate
For the architects, though, it is creating
an "intellectual climate" on campuses. "Creating
a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning is important,
and building designs play a vital role," says P.S. Ramani
Sankar, a leading architect in Coimbatore.
For engineering colleges - different from arts
and science colleges in not being lecture theatres - Mr. Sankar
suggests showcasing laboratories that are indispensable.
"A well-designed lab, walled with glass, not brick, will
kindle curiosity." And, institutions seem to have taken to
this idea in a big way. The Bannari Amman Institute of Technology
(BIT), Sathyamangalam, has glass-walled laboratories
showcasing sophisticated machinery.
Institutions are also investing in infrastructure
outside classrooms and labs, where the aim is to help students
relax.
Mr. Sankar says colleges are going in for tall,
broad corridors. "Such tall edifices command respect, make
students proud of their institution, and bonds them together."
Close on the heels are cafeteria and garden, where
institutions help their students unwind. "Today colleges
spend a good deal of money to help their students lighten up and
get refreshed. Cafeterias should prompt them to talk, debate,
share, discuss and above all, socialise." The architect cites
Bannari Amman Institute of Technology as an example, where cafeteria
is on the lawns, within a department building. Many colleges have
more than one cafeteria.
On the open surface, colleges such as the
K.S. Rangasamy College of Technology spend in lakhs to drape the
landscape with greenery.
