iit roorke campus sustainability- landuse

Chapter 1: Land Use Planning for Operational Sustainability of IIT Roorkee

MURP 1st Semester: Indian Institute of Technology,Roorkee Page 7

7 | Page

The objective of this chapter is to study the existing Land Use of the IIT Roorkee Campus,

and to analyze the existing land use patterns in the campus, for a sustainable land use, it

is mandatory to explore the possibilities of providing a uniform land use, the forthcoming

chapter will further shed a light on this realm of campus sustainability.

Land Use Chapter 1



CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................... 9

5.1 Sustainability in land use ....................................................................................................................... 9

5.2 The Campus – iit, roorkee ................................................................................................................... 10

5.3 Existing Land Use analysis ................................................................................................................... 12

5.4 Open Space ......................................................................................................................................... 15

5.5 Uses and User pattern analysis ........................................................................................................... 17

CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................................ 19

Figures

Figure 1: Percentage distribution ......................................................................................................................... 12

Figure 2: Land Use plan - 2007 ............................................................................................................................. 13

Figure 3: Land use Plan - 2012 .............................................................................................................................. 13

Figure 4: Kasturba Bhawan ................................................................................................................................... 13

Figure 5: Rajiv Bhawan ......................................................................................................................................... 13

Figure 6: Campus Population ................................................................................................................................ 14

Figure 7: Low rise Faculty residence - I ................................................................................................................. 14

Figure 8: Dilapidated structure - I ......................................................................................................................... 14

Figure 9: Low rise Faculty residence - I ................................................................................................................. 14

Figure 10: Dilapidated structure - II ...................................................................................................................... 14

Figure 11: Relation between built and open spaces............................................................................................. 15

Figure 13: Fenced open space - II ......................................................................................................................... 16

Figure 12: Fenced open space - I .......................................................................................................................... 16

Figure 14: Identified network of negative open spaces ....................................................................................... 16

Figure 15: Spatial activity analysis ........................................................................................................................ 17

Map

Map 1: Existing Land Use Plan – IIT Roorkee, 2012………………………………………………………………………………………….11



INTRODUCTION

Land use decisions can have a profound effect on virtually every aspect of our future, from schools

to roads to economic development to housing to the environment. The concept of sustainable land

use—i.e. managing land use in such a way that the need of the present are met without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs—is gaining favor.

Approach to land use planning should promote sustainable outcomes by taking into account overall

opportunities to increase density and to protect natural areas/sensitive open space.

5.1 SUSTAINABILITY IN LAND USE

Sustainable land use planning requires recognition of the limitations of the biosphere and the need

for a balance of social, cultural and economic uses within these natural limitations (Chalifour 2007).

Conserving natural areas on campus and structuring land use decisions upon the protection of

ecosystem function are cost-effective methods of creating a sustainable campus by leveraging the

ecosystem services that the land already provides instead of investing in mitigation efforts.

Natural areas on campus encourage groundwater recharge, help to filter chemical and nutrient

runoff to rivers, provide wildlife habitat, mitigate the heat island effect, and act as carbon sinks for

greenhouse gasses. Therefore, the imperative of natural areas conservation on campus and

university landholdings is clear. However, there are several methods that can be employed to

achieve this objective, and these methods are often determined by the legal, financial, and character

settings of a particular university.

Principle for land use planning:

Principle of land use should be to retain and reinforce the contiguity of the academic enterprise, in

order to encourage interaction and exchange both within and across disciplines. Accommodation of

new and growing academic programs should be made primarily through more Intensive use of

university owned land.

Recommendations:

I. Develop an overarching Campus Master Plan that would guide development on all University

landholdings, which would:

a) Develop a two-tiered land use designation of “conservation zones” to be included in all land

use plans that accompany the master plan

b) Identify the enhancement and preservation of ecosystem function as one of the major

principles guiding all planning documents, decisions, plans, and reviews.

II. Require an environmental sustainability component in all future campus plans and planning

policies. Such a component should blend with the Campus’s educational mission suggesting eco-

revelatory interventions when possible.



III. Create a consistent process for meaningful student and user participation in the creation of

future master plans, planning policies, building plans, and site selection. Develop a process—perhaps

through the implementation of a multi-stakeholder review, design, and approval body such as a

Campus Planning Commission—that will increase transparency and accountability in the campus

planning process, while simultaneously creating a constituency of student, faculty, and alumni that

will be invested in realizing planned outcomes.

To address issues of foresight, change, and integration, we have chosen to assess the degree to

which the planning and design processes allow human activity and ecosystem services to flourish

into the future.

5.2 THE CAMPUS – IIT, ROORKEE

Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee - formerly the University of Roorkee (1948-2001) and

the Thomason College of Civil Engineering (1853-1948) is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas,

in Hardwar district, within the state of Uttarakhand. Spread over 356 acres of land (144 Ha.)

The campus has a very long history and campus development was treated as a slow organic process

that adhered to different guiding policies and patterns. Due to it the campus resulted less efficient

use of land and weak relation between different activities.

There is need to incorporate more sustainability measures into its campus design.



Map 1: Existing Campus Land Use Plan – IIT Roorkee, 2012



5.3 Existing Land Use analysis

Land use within the Campus is divided into six categories namely Residential, Administrative,

Academic, Recreational, Infrastructure and facilities and Circulation. The allocation and character of

land use is explained below in the table 1.

Table 1: Existing Land use of the campus

Figure 1 is showing percentage wise distribution

of the various uses in the campus.

Residential is the major land use.It occupies

68.6 acres of land which is 44% of the total

Campus area.

While availablility of green spaces in

the campus is good which is 22%.

Land Use Residential Administrative Academics Recreational Infrastructure & Facilities

Circulation Area in Acres

Total Area

%age

Residential

Faculty & Officers

68.6

157.9 44.4

Staff - A 18.7

Staff - B 6.9

Hostel 52.5

Family/Research Scholars

8.6

Officers Guest Houses

1.9

Trainees Guest Houses

0.7

Administrative Main building 4.4 4.4 1.2

Academic Departments and Lecture complex

42.0 42.0 11.8

Recreational

Passive Green 27.3

77.8 22.0 Active Green 49.6

cafeteria/ plazzas

0.4

Clubs 0.5

Infrastructure and Facilities

Central 16.0 20.0 5.6

Other 4.0

Circulation Padestrian 3.1

53.8 15.0 Motorable 50.7

Grand Total 356 356 100.0

44%

1% 12%

22%

6%

15%

Land Use Distribution

Residential

Administrat ive

Academic

Recreational

Infrastructureand Facili tiesCirculation

Figure 1: Percentage distribution



Residential use is divided into seven sub-categories namely Faculty & Officers residences, Staff

residences – A & B, Students hostel, Family/Research Scholars hostel, Officers Guest Houses and

Trainees Guest House.

There have been few recent developments in providing residential facilities. Two new buildings for

the students established are – Kasturba Bhawan and Rajiv Gandhi. There are also apartments built

for the faculties along main road. Land use plan prepared in 2007 is given below as a comparison

between residential uses.

The Campus Land Use Plan Update specified that the residential area which consisted of 146.6 Acre

in 2007 increased to 158 Acres in 2011 which gives 7.7% rise in residential facilities.

New buildings have gone high rise rather than typical practice of low rise development that existed

in the past. Some of them are shown below.

Figure 2: Land Use plan - 2007 Figure 3: Land use Plan - 2012

Kasturba

Rajiv Gandhi

Apartments

New development

Figure 5: Rajiv Bhawan Figure 4: Kasturba Bhawan

Biotech dept.



0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

4105 5433

6111

1527 1420 1904

5632 6853

8015

Cam

pu

s p

op

ula

tio

n

Year

Students

Fac and staff

Total

The campus population also has increased significantly.

The present strength of the campus is 8015. It has

recorded 42% increment in past 5 years. It has the

capacity to house all the entire faculty and students on

its campus.

Presently students hostels occupying 33% and faculty

residences occupying 43% of the total residential area.

As faculty and students are the most important

constituents of the campus, therefore it is necessary to

offer them housing with better infrastructure facilities.

The old existing faculty houses that are present in the campus are low rise and low density. Some of

them were constructed over 30 years ago and therefore does not meet the standards of today.

There is an option for modification and re-densification of dilapidated structures with better

facilities to meet future demands.

Figure 6: Campus Population

Figure 9: Low rise Faculty residence - II

Figure 7: Low rise Faculty residence - I Figure 8: Dilapidated structure - I

Figure 10: Dilapidated structure - II



5.4 OPEN SPACE

People need and crave accessibility to open spaces. Open space on IIT, Roorkee main campus

consists of 77.8 acres (Active – 49.6 acre, Passive – 27.3 acre) or 22% of the total land. In order to

maintain a healthy campus environment and provide for the social and recreational needs of the

students the campus must contain a combination of both buildings and open space. It encourages

students to promote healthy minds, bodies, and spirits. Additionally, open space aids in purifying

infiltrated water and decreases urban runoff.

An ample mixture of built and open spaces spread over the whole campus of IIT, Roorkee mainly

centered by the main building. The following figure shows the distribution of the active and passive

open spaces.

The passive areas are mainly interdepartmental open spaces and are fenced which do not permit

free walking movements. They are used for beautification purposes and fulfill only visual pleasure

and aesthetic quality of the campus..

It is not a good example in sustainability of an institutional campus where pedestrian walkability is a

prime focus. It also limits the scope of individual to interact with others. The coordination must be

enhanced in order to create a network of open lands and realize the true value of recreation.

Figure 11: Relation between built and open spaces



These spaces are critical open spaces. Removal of fences and establishing a strategic arrangement

will minimize the decrease in access to recreational space.

The campus has 27.3 acre of passive green space. A network of 16.81 acre open area is identified

utilizing which 61.6% of total passive green area can be reduced. It will create a lung space in the

heart of the campus and also add to the recreation value.. The area is shown in the following map.

Figure 12: Fenced open space - II Figure 13: Fenced open space - I

Figure 14: Identified network of negative open spaces



5.5 USES AND USER PATTERN ANALYSIS

Students are the major constituent of any campus. Certainly they are the main user of all the

facilities and therefore the pattern of usage must be analyzed in relation to the built environment to

guide the sustainable development of the campus.

One of the principle design concepts of a sustainable campus is that spatial arrangement of buildings

should be arranged to encourage mixing of various segments of the campus community. The central

ground complex area acts as a core in the campus as it is connected to all communities.

The following figure is showing a conceptual diagram of major uses/ activities of the students of IIT,

Roorkee. This analysis will help in finding the arrangement of residential, academic and recreational

use while showing a direction of future growth of the campus.

The residential built environment is dominant in the northern part of the campus. Related to it, the

academic use is very less. This means that the students have to move further to get access to other

uses. As there is no scope for development/ densification near the hostel area, the future expansion

should be in the southern part of the campus to have a sustainable mixture of user and usage

pattern..

Figure 15: Spatial activity analysis

Residential

Recreation

Academic

Future growth

potential area





CONCLUSION

Based on the study we finally conclude that the following objectives should be the guiding principles

in creating sustainability in land use:

To cluster/ connect residents to their respective work environments by reducing locational

disparities.

To identify and put undeveloped/ unused arable lands into multi-purpose seasonal uses.

To reduce negative green spaces by integration of inter-departmental open spaces.

Identifying carrying capacity from the upper limit of resource consumption viz. land, water,

power.

To create future development opportunities by judicious and inclusive structural design.

Cost-benefit analysis for new developments.

List of References



1) Allinder E. et. al. (2003), “An Assessment of Campus Sustainability at the University of

Kentucky”, University of Kentucky, UK.

2) Barker, K. (2006), “Barker review of Land Use Planning: Final Report – Recommendations”, HM

Treasury, London, UK.

3) Mina Chan (2007), “Exploring Sustainability in Campus Design and Greenspace: Lessons from

Leading Universities.

4) Beale, B. and C. Fay. 2006. “Open spaces and people places: transfer of development

credits.”, Canada West Foundation

5) Griffith, J.C. 1994. “Open Space Preservation: An Imperative for Quality Campus

Environments”, The Journal of Higher Education.

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