NALANDA UNIVERSITY
State Government of Bihar
Rajgir,Bihar
2012
455 acres
Institutional​
Snohetta, Space Design Consultants
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The proposed campus sought to combine the pursuit of knowledge with the ideals of inclusivity and accessibility, reflective of contemporary society and its quest for equity and progress. While a clear sense of universal space was to engender the academic community within the campus, the site's inherent openness was to engage the wider local community. We sought an expanded idea of community that includes humans and other species, thus integrating the campus with surrounding communities as well as nurturing the local flora and fauna.

The proposed landscape was both self-defining and permeable. The water defined the master plan, was a connector and the central island of knowledge linked the programmatic components of the University. The central core formed the island of knowledge, forested with structured planting of trees and plants chosen for their form, symbolic importance and fruit and flower characteristics.


The historic Nalanda University was the embodiment of the idea that the pursuit of knowledge should not merely be a part of life, but a way of life. The architecture of the University, harnessed the forces of nature to create a powerful imprint of this idea, on time and space.
