AUROVILLE

"Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and

women of all countries are able to live in

peace and progressive

harmony above all creeds, all

politics and all nationalities.

The purpose of Auroville is to realise human

unity

LOCATION OF AUROVILLE

• Auroville InternationalBharat NivasVillupuram District Auroville - 605101Tamil NaduIndia

Auroville is well connected city by rail and road to other cities. Auroville is about 10 kms north of Pondicherry, in South India Auroville International

AUROBINDO ASHRAM……….

AUROVILLE CHARACTER• Auroville belongs to nobody in

particular. Auroville belongsAuroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages .Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future manity as a wholeAuroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual Human Unity.

• Auroville belongsAuroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages

POPULATION GROWTH OF AUROVILLE

• Although originally intended to house 50,000, the actual population today is 2,007 (1,553 adults and 454 minors), coming from 44 nationalities, 836 of whom are of Indian origin.[7] The community is divided up into neighborhoods with English, Sanskrit, French and Tamil names like Aspiration, Arati, La Ferme, and Isaiambalam

MASTER PLAN OF AUROVILLE

Auroville s master plan incorporates several design improvements for auroville

PHYSICAL CHARECTERISTICS

• Auroville is located on the southeast coast of India in the state of Tamil Nadu, 100 miles south of Madras and just north of the city oThe climate of Auroville is sub-tropical, with high humidity, and temperatures reaching 40C/105F in May and June. The main rainy season is from October to December, with an average yearly rainfall of about 135cm/53inf Pondicherry….

The Auroville site, previously eroded and barren, is a flat plateau 150 feet above sea level. There are about 80 different settlements spread out over 2,600 acres within a 20 square-mile circle

HISTORY OF AUROVILLE• Auroville was founded as a project of Sri

Aurobindo Society on Wednesday 28 February 1968 by Mirra Alfassa, "The Mother". She was an equal spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo, who believed that "man is a transitional being". The Mother expected that this experimental "universal township" would contribute significantly in the "progress of humanity towards its splendid future by bringing together people of goodwill and aspiration for a better world." The Mother also believed that such a universal township will contribute decisively to the Indian renaissance (Ref. Mother's Agenda, Vol. 9, dt.3.02.68). The Government of India endorsed the township, and in 1966, UNESCO also endorsed it inviting the member-states to participate in the development of Auroville. UNESCO re-endorsed Auroville four times more in the course of the last 40 years[

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SITE PLAN OF AUROVILLE• In terms of physical

development, Auroville aims at becoming a model of the 'city of the future' or 'the city the earth needs'. It wants to show the world that future realisations in all fields of work will allow us to build beautiful cities where people sincerely looking towards a more harmonious future will want to live.

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CULTURAL ZONE OF AUROVILLE

• The 103-hectare (240 acres) spanning Cultural Zone will have its own specific vibration emanating from the various cultural institutions and research centres related to education, arts and sport that are planned there. City level cultural uses will find their place there, such as auditoriums and exhibition halls, parks and playgrounds, green areas, kiosks and convenience stores, a stadium and large spaces with sports facilities.

AUROVILLE ENVIRONMENT• Perhaps the most pressing task for

the first settlers in Auroville was to discover and implement methods of regenerating the eroded land. Over the past two decades of effort, Aurovilians have evolved and developed sustainable and effective techniques.

• The key is an integrated water and soil conservation program. In the past, the monsoons would wash over the barren land, carrying topsoil to the ocean and creating deep ravines and gullies.

A second important technique for halting erosion was contour bunding. In bunding, interlocking grids of earth mounds enclose areas of land, preventing runoff and allowing rainwater to percolate down to replenish the water table. Extensive bunding has been carried out over each of the watersheds in Auroville.

AUROVILLE EDUCATION• Schools and academic studies began in

1970. From those simple beginnings, Auroville now provides schooling from creche and kindergarten through middle and high school. The curriculum includes arts, sciences, mathematics, languages, and humanities as well as physical education and sports

Cultural activities, from the fine arts to the performing arts, have expanded over the years. Auroville has dance and music studios, a theater and auditorium, a video center, a library, and an exhibition hall

AUROVILLE TECHNOLOGY• Conventional methods of energy production are

expensive and often harmful to the increasingly fragile environment. Aurovilians have explored ways of generating non-polluting, renewable, and affordable energy appropriate to local conditions.

• There are at present 30 water-pumping windmills of various designs working in Auroville. Aurovilians have manufactured prototypes of an improved design with wider applicability in India. They have also integrated numerous solar and biogas systems into community life.

The Centre for Scientific Research (CSR) was created in 1984 to fund and promote research in alternative technology in Auroville. CSR is currently coordinating a government-sanctioned energy project; providing biogas plants, solar cookers, and improved cooking stoves for local villages; as well as producing prefab building components for rural housing.

AUROVILLE-VILLAGE ACTION

• In 1984 the Village Action Group was formed to further develop communication and integration with the villages. Aurovilians working with the local population have developed programs for family planning, health, sanitation, day and evening schools, and training and apprenticeship in crafts.

There are six centers in Auroville working with the villages. Isai Ambalam is a cooperative employing 300 villagers with a primary school for 100 village children. It is also the headquarters for the Village Action Group

MATRIMANDIR-AUROVILLEMATRIMANDIR SOUL OF AUROVULLE

The Matrimandir (under construction) as seen from the Amphitheatre, with the inauguration ceremony urn in the foreground.

The Matrimandir is both the physical and spiritual center of Auroville. Matrimandir, in Sanskrit, means "Temple of the Divine Mother". Its inner chamber is meant to be a place for quiet and concentration, void of any ritual, where anyone can sit to meditate in silence

all over the world, Matrimandir stands as a living example of human unity in diversity which Auroville seeks to express and manifest a unity essential for our planet's survival

AUROVILLE-SELF GOVERNMENT

• Organization and collective decision making has been one of the most challenging aspects of Auroville's growth. Over two decades, numerous systems and revisions have evolved.As Auroville has grown larger and more complex, it has tried to maintain this original spirit of responding to real needs, adapting its organization to changes in individual and collective growth rather than succumbing to bureaucratic forms and habits.

AUROVILLE-SEVICES

• Auroville has established many basic services over the years. One of the first services, Pour Tous (meaning "for all") was established as a food-purchasing and distribution service

The Entry and Visa Service receives newcomers and processes visa applications, the Auroville Greenwork Resource Center oversees land management and utilization, and Aurofuture coordinates town planning. Other services include the Auroville Health Center, the Electrical and Water Service, and a Financial Service that facilitates financial exchanges

A project-writing and consultation service designed to improve the quality of project proposals coming from Auroville.

AUROVILLE-PRODUCTION UNITS

• Auroville is striving to become a self-sufficient community. At present there are over 50 income-earning production units in Auroville, including handicrafts, construction and architecture, printing and graphic design, electronics, biogas-converter and windmill manufacturing, fish farming, and cheese-makingAurelec, the largest production unit in

Auroville, manufactures PC-compatible computers. Aurelec has received a National Productivity Award and is one of the most successful small companies in its field in India. Auroville's services and production units provide valuable employment and training for thousands of local villagers, helping them acquire valued skills and raising their standard of living.

PRARTHNA IN AUROVILLE

• The housing of Prarthna started as a conventional housing development with an array of Apartment blocks comprising of different types of Housing units. But after the first 2 blocks it became clear that a mixed land use of row houses and apartments would be more appropriate for the needs of Auroville

Architects PART OF auroville

SHERI CASTELINO• Graduated in

architecture from K.R.V.I.A. in 1997, Bombay. Studied Italian Cinema & Literature in Perugia, Italy, 2000.

PINO MARCHESE

• Graduated in architecture from University of Florence in 1990. Practised Pottery at "Antica Fornace Di Bacchereto' in Vinci-Tuscany, 1982-84.

Commendation Award for State Architect of the Year 2008 (for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Pondicherry)

Member of Auroville Industrial Zone Group 2002-2006 Member of Auroville Planning Group 2003-2006 Member of Auroville Planning & Development Council 2004-2005

Set up Photography Archive Bank of over 50000 pictures on all areas of interest on Auroville 1968-present & partly on India

ANUPAMA KUNDO

• Came to Auroville in 1990.Graduated from J.J college of Architecture, Bombay, in 1989.After working for a year in Bombay moved to Auroville.

PETER MATTHIAS ANDERSCHITZ• I was admitted by

the Mother in May '71

'Ich bin ein Berliner', taxi driver, student of architecture and planning at the Technical University Berlin, diploma (dipl.ing) in '68 with O.M.Ungers

Networking and public relations for Auroville, in India and Europe, especially in Berlin, Prague, Auroville

Return to Auroville, and since then involved in building up 'Kolam', an architecture, design and construction unit.

POONAM MALCHANDINI• Born in Mumbai

on May 10th 1975, Poonam Mulchandani moved to Auroville in 1997 after graduating from the Kamla Raheja Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies.

SATPREM MAINI• Satprem Maïni is

a French Aurovilian architect and is the director of the Auroville Earth Institute. He is representative for India and South Asia to the “ UNESCO Chair Earthen Architecture, Constructive Cultures and Sustainable Development

Architecture is a celebration . . . of form . . . lines . . . light . . . colour . . . and nature.

Since 1989, Satprem's life has been dedicated to Auroville

SUHASINI AYER

• My evolution as an architect up to the point of the educational experience in SPA Delhi was 'normal' in the absolute sense of the word. But then having decided to live and practice in 'Auroville' has given me an experiential learning which is not 'normal' in the sense of types of projects that had to be designed

HELMUT• He came to

auroville in 1979. 10 years experience in planning and design of universities and medical schools in Germany

Residential houses, apartment buildings, group housing andinstitutional buildings, mainly in Pondicherry and Auroville

FLOW CHART OF AUROVILLE

SOME SPACES IN AUROVILLE

TRAINING CENTRE OF AUROVILLE EARTH INSTITUTE.

Apartments on four floors at Vikas - Auroville

VIEWS

• AUROVILLE VISITORS CENTRE

AUROBINDO ASHRAM IN AUROVILLE…….