A new music centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai is putting bamboo at the heart of contemporary institutional architecture. Designed by Indian practice Ekarth Studio, the Maestro Ilaiyaraaja Centre for Music Learning and Research combines music education, research and performance with an experimental approach to sustainable construction.
The centre is spread across around 10,000 square feet and consists of a series of bamboo pavilions connected by dramatic vaulted forms. The building is dedicated to celebrated Indian composer Ilaiyaraaja and is intended to bring together musicians, engineers, mathematicians and researchers working across music and technology.
Bamboo serves as the primary structural material, helping reduce dependence on concrete. Different forms of bamboo, including round culms, bundled splits and bamboo sticks, were combined to create large spans and curved structures. Local artisans carried out processes such as splitting, bending, bundling and joining, while structural engineering helped adapt traditional craftsmanship for an institutional-scale building.
At the centre is an 80-seat auditorium featuring nine-metre-high arches and a column-free span of 15 metres. The facility also includes classrooms, a recording studio, offices and supporting spaces. Lime-based finishes, earthen surfaces and natural-fibre roof tiles complement the exposed bamboo structure.
Completed in just 11 months, the project aims to demonstrate that bamboo can deliver structural strength, complex geometry and contemporary architectural expression, challenging its long-standing perception as a secondary building material.
