HOW IIT JODHPUR'S EARTH BERMS ARE REDEFINING DESERT ARCHITECTURE

In the parched landscape of Rajasthan's Thar Desert, where temperatures in summer often surpass a blistering 45°C, the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur (IIT Jodhpur) has quietly engineered an architectural revolution.

- P Srinivasan

This innovation is neither a glass tower nor a steel-laden superstructure. It is a series of massive earth berms—raised landforms sculpted to shield, sustain, and symbolise a philosophy deeply rooted in local climate and culture.

Located on an 852-acre campus along NH-62, the berms are a bold departure from conventional desert architecture. Rising to heights of up to 15 metres and stretching across 1,265 metres in length, these 51 mounds are positioned deliberately along the campus's southwestern perimeter. This is no coincidence. In this part of Rajasthan, fierce winds and dust storms regularly sweep from south-west toward the north-east. By intercepting these currents at their source, the berms act as passive windbreaks, significantly reducing the infiltration of dust and heat into the academic and residential precincts.

These berms do not merely function as walls. They embody the essence of what campus seeks to represent—sustainability rooted in local context and driven by innovation. According to Prof. Ram Prakash, Dean of Infrastructure and Estate at IIT Jodhpur, the berms are the most striking and symbolic structures on campus. They offer not just a respite from desert winds, but a visual and conceptual representation of the idea of an oasis, offering relief to every visitor and denizen of campus.