Analysing and Identifying the Parameters that Activates an Informal Space in a Campus Design

Abstract

In a campus, physical environment plays a vital role in the design for both formal and informal spaces. Many variables in planning, contribute to the user experiences. In addition to the class rooms, lecture halls, labs, libraries, and other spaces that fall into the formal framework, there are other spaces called informal areas, which are either planned (OAT, Cafeterias) or organically formed by the users. But, mostly planning of such spaces is kept unattended or given least importance, hence resulting in an inactive space. Instead, the users find their own informal areas that are an organically formed space with respect to their movement and functions. Hence the primary objective of the study is to investigate such planned and the unplanned areas in a campus are formed and find out the parameters that activates an informal space in a campus design. The study is done by understanding the examples from the similar campus case studies, like IIM-Bangalore, IIM-Ahmedabad, IIM –Kozhikode and CEPT-Ahmedabad, from which, the common active spaces are identified and their functions, design and activities are analysed. Then deriving at the determinants or the parameters that affects and activates an informal space in a campus design, which would be the outcome of the study.