Jeevanvidya Mission Dnyanpeeth | Rohit Shinkre Architects, Mumbai

The Dynanpeeth is a modern ashram to ensure that the wisdom and teachings of Sadguru Vamanrao Pai; the ancient scriptures of Gita and Upanishads and the work of the medieval Marathi saints reinterpreted for the contemporary world; is passed on to future generations. It is the labour of love of his thousands of followers. A place where they can come together for interaction, learning, meditation etc.
First Award | DAF 2016 Awards
Category: Institutional (Built)
Participant  Name: Rohit Shinkre 
Team Members: Ar. Pradeep Tilaye, E Kon Inc. Usa, Vijay Kurtadkar, M.B. Services Iceberg Hvac , Sparkle Electricals, Sonu & Sons
Country: India

The 9 acres landscaped campus with about 45k built up area includes 6 structures:
Reception & museum: Information & orientation of visitors. A small exhibition on the life and work of Sadguru. This is the introduction to the Dnyanpeeth.
Lecture Halls: 4 nos. from 150 to 400 seaters, fully equipped with a/v facilities and acoustic treatment for workshops, seminars and interactive multi-media sessions. The open corridors and lobbies offer ample space for discussion, debate and interaction.

Prayer hall: A unique hexagonal all white space for congregation and contemplation. Open from all sides and to all good thoughts.

Sadguru Niwas: The residence of the Sadguru. Built like a small shrine for followers to feel his presence. A hand-crafted deepstambh adorns the entrance, a frieze of relief panels with ‘vithal vithal’ in Sadgurus handwriting and a striking hanuman idol at the ridge- whose qualities of humility, dedication, sense of justice, strength of character and devotion form the core of Sadgurus teaching.
Accommodation: Hospitality for about 150 persons. Two blocks with a variety of options for groups, families and executives. With inner courtyard to maximize natural light and ventilation.
Kitchen & dining: Full equipped to serve large congregations. The dining halls can seat about 200 at a time.
The design builds on the idea of ‘open arms’ to welcomes visitors without any distinction of age, gender or community. The campus is nestled in the dramatic landscape of the Sahyadri mountains that forms the backdrop for the silhouette of the structures to compose with.

The master plan is composed around a triangular core with the principal structures at the vertices. The structures are spread across the campus and not together creating a wonderful experience as one walks through the vehicle free campus. The visitors engage in a true promenade architecturale along the meandering pathways where natural and man-made landscape come together to define a variety of spaces of different characteristic and scale – from the open-air amphitheater to seat several hundreds to the meditation pods for a small group or individuals. The structures respond to a vibrant nature with their own vibrant symbolic colours. A comprehensive art-program creates multiple points of surprise and interest through-out the campus.

The design and planning is environmentally sensitive in the
Design & planning: Minimize hardscape to promote ground water recharge through percolation of rainwater, Composite load-bearing & RCC structure, Double- heighted naturally ventilated spaces, courtyards for the habitable spaces, ample greenery to reduce heat island effect, stress on local plantation to suit local flora and fauna.
Choice of material: Fly-ash bricks, terracotta tiles
Utility provision: Solar water heaters, PV panels and wind mill for demonstration and awareness building, passive STPs, low-level external lighting to reduce night-sky pollution.
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