The much-awaited inauguration of new academic block of Maharashtra National Law University at Nagpur is likely to be held on Saturday April 10, 2021. Reliable sources told ‘The Hitavada’, Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde will do the honour of inaugurating the building being set up at Waranga on huge 60-acre land. According to sources, the confusion over the mode of the programme still prevails. Given the pandemic situation and State Government prohibiting all the public functions, the university has yet not able to take a call on whether the programme to be conducted in online mode or off-line.

 

The programme may be held on both modes with limited audience on stage and others joining on-line through link. There is a less possibility of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray attending the programme. The Academic Block is designed to foster serendipitous interactions amongst students and teachers where the idea of education extends beyond the classrooms. The classrooms are planned along corridors which reflect the idea of pedestrian street networks organised around skylit courtyards and terraces, bringing in a sense of informality and lightness offering spaces for congregation and contemplation. There are three wings, each hosting various disciplines.

 

The third wing hosting class rooms along with research centre, yoga, meditation and counseling will be constructed in the future. The two wings which are ready have a variety of spaces for learning; this includes thirteen 70-seater classrooms with raked floor, twenty-nine 24-seat classrooms and also two numbers each of 200 and 100 seat conference halls. The classrooms are designed to be completely day-lit and glare free. The Academic Block is flanked by a 5-acre manmade lake, a 300-seat amphitheater, landscaped terraces serving as Gurukul, library and moot court. Ceremonial steps lead to the lake. The landscape areas flow into interiors thus blurring boundaries between the inside and outside spaces. Internal landscaped courtyards provide break out spaces and respite.

 

Shading devices have determined the built-form. The walls and the roofs are insulated to deal with heat of Nagpur bringing down the energy demand for artificially cooling these spaces, lending to the idea of a sustainable campus, which when complete will be self-reliant when it comes to water and electricity. The buildings are designed in exposed concrete, aggregate stone finish and natural granite allowing it to age grace fully over time expressing longevity and institutional nature of the campus. The other buildings in Phase-I which are under construction and slated for inauguration mid-2021 are the gate complex, bank, administration, library, boys’ and girls’ hostels, amenity and residential facilities.