IIT Madras’ Ilaiyaraaja Music Leans On Bamboo Vaults, Open Courtyards, & Long-Span Arches

Ilaiyaraaja is one of those composers whose music has practically been woven into the sound of South Indian cinema. Born in Pannaipuram, Tamil Nadu, he came into Tamil film music in the 1970s and became known for bringing Tamil folk, Carnatic music and Western classical orchestration into composition. His 1976 debut Annakili changed the sound of village-set Tamil cinema, and he went on to compose thousands of songs and scores across Indian languages, working as a composer, singer, conductor, arranger and lyricist. He was also among the earliest Indian film composers to use Western classical harmonies and string arrangements extensively, and became the first Asian composer to have a symphony performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. IIT Madras has now named its new Centre for Music Learning and Research after him, dedicating a 10,000 sq. ft. space to music education, research and cultural engagement.

The Maestro Ilaiyaraaja Centre for Music comes out of IIT Madras’ “Music for All” initiative, which looks at music through acoustics, sound synthesis, artificial intelligence, signal processing, instrument design and the scientific understanding of Indian music. Its aim is to create a space where interdisciplines like science, mathematics, engineering and technology can intersect. Designed and built by Ekarth Studio, the brief called for a contemporary institutional building constructed predominantly from natural materials, with sustainability reflecting the institute’s commitment to the climate. Bamboo became the primary structural system, while the architectural idea draws from the Bel Patra, the sacred trifoliate leaf associated with Lord Shiva and traditionally connected to sound, movement and cosmic rhythm in Indian philosophy.

Across the site, interconnected bamboo vaults take on the leaf-like geometry of the Bel Patra, unfolding into a series of expansive canopies. They create a rhythm across the landscape while sheltering classrooms of varying capacities, recording spaces, gathering areas and spaces for informal interaction. The spaces underneath remain deliberately open to their surroundings, looking towards landscaped courtyards and shaded outdoor areas. Filtered daylight, moving air, surrounding trees and shifting shadows become part of the learning environment, while an amphitheatre-like gathering space at the centre is used for rehearsal, performance and collective learning. Bamboo also gives the whole idea its structural expression: its bending potential and long-span capabilities allow the roofs to rise into nearly nine-metre-high arches, creating column-free spans of up to 15 metres.

Ekarth Studio worked closely with IIT Madras to develop a lightweight engineered bamboo structure using three distinct forms: round culms, bundled bamboo splits and bundled bamboo sticks. Bundled flat bamboo splits form the primary spine beams, creating lightweight assemblies capable of carrying substantial roof loads, while layered curvature, handcrafted joinery and carefully calibrated force distribution allow the system to achieve complex doubly-curved geometries and respond to Chennai’s humidity, cyclonic forces and long-term environmental exposure. Skilled artisans handled the splitting, bending, bundling and joining primarily with basic carpentry tools, with structural engineering refining these processes for a long-span institutional building. The 10,000 sq. ft. centre was completed in eleven months with limited reliance on heavy construction machinery. Exposed bamboo keeps its curvature, texture, structural logic and handcrafted joinery visible, alongside lime-based finishes, earthen surfaces and natural-fibre roofing, bringing the way the building is made into the architecture itself. The hope is that the centre becomes a place where musicians, engineers, researchers and students can work on music together, across disciplines and under the same bamboo canopies. 

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