This is what happens when a country decides brick is not a basic material but a design language.
Prestige University. Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Designed by Sanjay Puri Architects. Completed January 2026. 30,843 m².
The defining feature is a 9,000 square metre walkable roof comprising 463 stepped platforms, usable as individual social spaces or as a single open auditorium for up to 9,000 people. The design was modelled on India’s ancient stepwells civic gathering spaces that existed for over 1,100 years before the building typology was ever theorized.
The brick screens on the east, west and south facades are not only decorative. They are a ventilated climate skin, reducing heat gain in a city that sits between 30°C and 40°C for eight months of the year. Landscaped courtyards pull indirect natural light through every level. Minimal air conditioning. Minimal artificial lighting.
This is brick doing structural work, climatic work, spatial work and cultural work simultaneously.
Africa has the same soils for brick and enough resources to produce it. The same need for spaces where 9,000 people can gather. The question is when we start investing in our materials with the same seriousness.
Architects: Sanjay Puri Architects | Indore, India | 2026 | Photo: Vinay Panjwani
@rahulj51 Ohh finally! I'm perplexed too! It's impractical as hell. In apartment buildings, where ceiling height is anyway low, a false ceiling to make it look even smaller? And trade natural light for these.
The big ass tv itself hogs a whole wall. Stamp it on a wooden board? No thanks
2 news pieces from yesterday's @timesofindia . Unrelated, yet related..in how the sports administration in India remains under firm political grip.
Whatever our sportspersons achieve, is inspite of..not because of.
We can't entirely do away with plastic, let's admit it. But the packaging, quite often needless, or at least doable with non-plastic material, I think comes down to plastic being cheap (to acquire). Like this handwash sachet, why does it even need the outer packet?
You can rebook an Indigo flight. You can’t rebook your lungs
Why does air pollution, which impacts millions, rarely trigger the same kind of outrage as the recent Indigo fiasco that inconvenienced only a few lakh travellers?
In the Indigo case, there is a clearly identifiable villain. The airline has been majorly responsible for this mess. In case of pollution and the climate change that it causes, there is no clearly identifiable villain.
The factors that create pollution – driving, construction, diesel generators, firecrackers, loudspeakers, stubble burning, etc., – all have instant benefits; convenience, jobs, salaries, fun, and the achievement of social goals. The costs are distant.
When the benefits are immediate and the costs lie somewhere in the future, people almost always choose the “now,” however irrational that may be in the long run – especially for those with kids.
My column @newslaundry
https://t.co/qVBHXLzZ3P
One of the best portrayals of 'the nagging boss' is #BobbyCannavale as Colin in @PrimeVideoIN 's #Homecoming .
Dude, u got under my skin and I'm watching u on just a tiny 6' screen!! Goddamnit u r killing it man and I'm only on S1E5.
Front page of a national daily. @TOIIndiaNews We dont even pretend anymore that this may be unethical, or be hush-hush about it. We even have a cutesy name to it - resort politics. And a formal one : post-poll strategies. #MaharashtraElectionResults
@AmazonHelp As if getting a soiled product in a package was not bad enough, the ping-pong with returns is making the experience pathetic. If the product cant be accepted as return, just say so pls. And i will not waste more time on this.
@amazonIN Ordered a pair of footwear. And recieved this. A used sandal. And by 'used' i mean something taken off the foot, and packed as is, with mud still sticking on. Order id 402-2396020-2674736
@AmazonHelp Alright, 3 days later and after having contacted customer care, having been given assurance that return/refund will be taken care of, i am still here chasing ghosts.
@ChhattisgarhCMO Sir, i received ur voice msg with Hareli badhai, the recorded one, 6 times, roughly one each hour, before i finally blocked the number in afternoon. May be others too. Pls get the glitch fixed where a good social msg is getting lost due to technical error.