In tune with the ‘go green’ concept, Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University G. Nageswara Rao has inaugurated the university’s first green building on the campus. The three-storeyed building that was inaugurated, will serve as the hostel for foreign students.
Conceived and built by Vijay Nirman Company (VNC), the building is designed to provide abundant natural light and breeze. This apart, there is minimal use of steel, said chairman and managing director of VNC Vijay Kumar.
Despite being a three-storeyed building with about 27 rooms, adequate dining and entertainment space, the building is not a conventional column and beam structure. The super-structure is primarily based on hollow bricks, which were moulded and cast at the site, using fly-ash, gypsum, papier-mâché and waste material, Dr. Vijay Kumar said.
Built at a cost of about Rs. 4.4 crore, the unique feature is its low maintenance cost. “We don’t have to paint the building, as the bricks are coated with coloured Jaipur chips,” said Prof. Nageswara Rao.
The building can house about 108 foreign students, with four students per room. Each room is furnished with individual beds, tables and cupboards. There is a common kitchen and dinning space, two guest rooms and an entertainment space.
AU, at present has about 400 students from 12 countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Vienna, Ethiopia, Botswana, Nigeria and Iran.
Right now there are three hostels, with one exclusively catering to foreign girls students, said Prof. Nageswara Rao.
“We intend to increase the strength of foreign students to 1000 in the next couple of years,” he added.
