DESIGN NARRATIVE

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THE CANDID PUBLIC LIBRARY

A Civic Landmark for Knowledge, Light, and Community

 

The Candid Public Library emerges as a civic beacon within the lush academic grounds of Ismail Yusuf College, envisioned as a democratic, inclusive, and climate-responsive public space. Rooted in the idea of transparency, openness, and lifelong learning, the library blends contemporary architecture with environmentally responsive design and urban sensitivity.

 

Conceptual Approach: “From Idea to Mass”

The architectural form is derived from a simple idea: to create layers of knowledge and light—both metaphorically and functionally. The massing evolves from a clean rectangular base, hollowed and terraced strategically to allow public interaction and light ingress. Each functional layer of the library—reading zones, archive cores, public interaction plazas, and digital zones—is stitched through voids, cutouts, and cantilevered volumes to produce spatial dynamism.

The building rises vertically up to 25.0 meters while staying grounded through terrace gardens, shaded courts, and landscaped setbacks, ensuring harmony with the green campus.

 

Climatic Response & Orientation Strategy

Mumbai’s tropical climate mandates a design that celebrates light while protecting from heat and glare. The orientation and skin of the library are carefully calibrated:

• North and West-facing cantilevered balconies project dynamically from the main mass, allowing diffused daylight into reading areas, minimizing artificial lighting demand while creating breakout terraces for readers.

• South and South-East facades, exposed to harsh solar angles, are treated with deep vertical fins, green screens, and cavity walls, reducing heat gain and glare. These facades host service cores and circulation buffers.

• Courtyards and double-height atriums act as thermal buffers, improving ventilation and internal cooling.

• Skylights and solar panels adorn the terrace, drawing in filtered zenithal light into central reading atriums and supplementing energy needs.

 

Program & Spatial Organization

Spread across G+5 floors within the 25.0m height envelope, the library includes:

• Ground Floor: Civic plaza with amphitheatre steps, informal reading zones, kids’ zone, café, and exhibition gallery.

• First & Second Floors: General reading halls, digital media center, community rooms, book stack zones.

• Third Floor: Reference library, research archives, admin offices, seminar hall.

• Fourth Floor: Language labs, AV rooms, maker spaces, and collaborative lounges.

• Fifth Floor: Silent reading zone, rare book collection, and terrace garden seating.

• Terrace: OHT, lift machine room, solar panels, skylights, and roof-level reading nooks under pergolas.

 

Zoning & Compliance with Design Constraints

• Site Area: 13,033.00 sq.m

• Recreation Garden: 1,954.95 sq.m (15% provided along entry plaza and southern edge)

• Ground Coverage: ~4,200 sq.m (≈32%, within 33.33% limit)

• Total Built-up Area: 29,910.73 sq.m (≈FSI 2.7 max)

• Building Height: G+5 floors + rooftop services within 25.0m envelope

• Open Space: 6.0m on all sides maintained via stilt level and setbacks

• Parking:

  • 81 car parks (surface/podium)

  • 60 bike & 60 bicycle parks in shaded bays near main entry and service access

• Podium: Optionally used for secondary entry, archives storage or semi-basement parking depending on final structural strategy.

 

Material & Facade Language

• Earth-toned exposed concrete, glass, and corten steel define the contemporary yet grounded material palette.

• Vertical fins and laser-cut jaali panels regulate solar ingress.

• Bamboo-clad terraces and shaded balconies soften the mass and invite greenery to climb into architecture.

• Interiors combine natural wood, terrazzo flooring, and acoustic baffles to create a serene learning atmosphere.

 

Sustainability Features

• Passive cooling via orientation, shading, and cross ventilation

• Rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse systems

• Solar PV panels for energy efficiency

• High-reflective terrace finish with shaded skylights to reduce heat island effect

• Low-flow fixtures and daylight-responsive lighting

 

Roof Design Feature: Trapezoidal Skylights

The rooftop of The Candid Public Library is punctuated with a constellation of trapezoidal skylights—carefully shaped and oriented to create dynamic lightplay while addressing climatic concerns.

 

Design Intent:

• The trapezoidal geometry draws inspiration from folded origami forms, symbolizing the unfolding of knowledge.

• Their angled profiles are designed to catch indirect northern light while minimizing direct solar ingress from harsh southern exposures.

• Positioned rhythmically across the roof slab, they act as light funnels, drawing daylight into central reading halls and vertical atriums below.

 

Functional & Climatic Benefits:

• North-facing slopes of the trapezoidal skylights allow soft, diffused daylight, ideal for reading zones.

• South-facing slopes are treated with solar panels or green roofing strips, optimizing thermal control and energy capture.

• Their geometry helps in reducing glare, controlling shadows, and evenly distributing daylight within the double-height reading spaces.

• Integrated motorized operable vents within select skylights allow natural exhaust of warm air, aiding passive ventilation strategies.

 

​ATTRIBUTES
1. 2 SITE ENTRY/EXITS
2. 81 NOS OF 4WH PARKING PROVIDED
3. 60 NOS OF BIKE PARKING PROVIDED
4. 60 NOS OF BICYCLE PARKING PROVIDED
5. CORE AREA-DOUBLE HEIGHT-ENTRANCE
6. INVISIBLE SPACE -SHOPS
7. NON ASSIGNABLE SPACE
8. VISIBLE SPACE-EXHIBITION SPACE-SEMINAR HALL

9. ​BOOK LAUNCH AREA,POETRY AREA,PERFORMANCE AREA =325 SQ.M
TOTAL GROUND FLOOR BUILT UP AREA OR MAXIMUM
GROUND COVERAGE:- 1310.40 SQ.M
TOTAL R.G PROVIDED(GREEN OPEN SPACE) = 4560 SQ.M

TOTAL MEZZANINE FLOOR BUILT UP AREA :- 388 SQ.M
TOTAL FIRST FLOOR BUILT UP AREA :- 2313 SQ.M

TOTAL SECOND FLOOR BUILT UP AREA :- 2368 SQ.M

TOTAL THIRD FLOOR BUILT UP AREA :- 2400 SQ.M

TOTAL FOURTH FLOOR BUILT UP AREA :- 2478 SQ.M