Institute

The expansion of the Ser Cidadão Headquarters in Santa Cruz, the west zone of Rio de Janeiro, embodies in architecture the commitment of a social organization to human and community development. Since 2002, the organization has been involved in projects related to education, culture, work, and health, promoting opportunities for youth in vulnerable territories. In 2006, it received a donation of a historic mansion, the former residence of doctor and senator Júlio Cesário de Melo, whose legacy of care inspired the very essence of the project: to build spaces that welcome, educate, and transform.

Sejpal and Raje Architects were appointed in 2021 to design the Organic Research and Training Centre (ORTC) in Bylakuppe, Karnataka. This is the second-largest Tibetan settlement in India after Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, and it comprises Buddhist monasteries, temples, and universities. ORTC is an important institution for the research and dissemination of sustainable farming and animal husbandry methods. It has established a heritage seed bank and is teaching the younger Tibetans about Indigenous traditional and organic farming methods and their relevance today.

Sejpal and Raje Architects were appointed in 2021 to design the Organic Research and Training Centre (ORTC) in Bylakuppe, Karnataka. This is the second-largest Tibetan settlement in India after Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, and it comprises Buddhist monasteries, temples, and universities. ORTC is an important institution for the research and dissemination of sustainable farming and animal husbandry methods. It has established a heritage seed bank and is teaching the younger Tibetans about Indigenous traditional and organic farming methods and their relevance today.

Government institutions in India usually follow a pragmatic, understated approach when it comes to the expression of their architecture. When Goa State govt. Floated an international level competition for the design of the National Institute of Water Sports in Goa, it wanted the institute to do two things: firstly, to make a bold, iconic statement with an expression that treats the architecture beyond the functional pragmatism and secondly, takes a fresh approach to the typical Goan Architectural setting a language that’s more global yet grounded while resonating the vernacular, through the use of local materials.

Two buildings make up the new headquarters of IFEA: a monumental house, preserved through structural reinforcement, where administrative offices, the bookstore, and the cafeteria are located; and a new building, on a small rear plot, which houses the library on the first floor and research offices on the second level. An existing patio garden functions as a threshold between them, extending the relationship with the street through a lateral access gallery. 

The new SIMAC (Svendborg International Maritime Academy) is a beacon for future educational institutions that lights up through the integration of the city and the harbor. The new SIMAC in Svendborg will be Denmark’s largest maritime education institution. With its flexible framework and utilization of the harbor, it becomes both a beacon for modern education and the transformation from a completely industrial area to a new living district with education, business, and recreational areas.

Zhejiang University “Two Institutes” in Quzhou (Zhejiang University Quzhou Research Institute and the Quzhou Branch of the College of Engineering) are in the education town of Quzhou, Zhejiang Province. Architecture studio (in association with China Shanghai Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd) won the international competition in 2019 and is responsible for the whole design work and overall control of the project. The campus officially opened on 18 June 2022. The studio has explored the proper planning between the waterfront landscape and the urban education complex, creating an ecological campus. The borderless layout aims to create a more vivid interaction between the campus and its surroundings. Eventually, the campus will be the place to work, communicate and live, providing more space to exchange ideas, express emotions and inspire innovation. The process is like planting a tree, giving the temperature, moisture, and fresh air; providing enough energy and space to take root and grow upwards.