Project Evergreen is an initiative by the Alumni of IIT Bombay to support the institute in catering to its student housing needs. The number of students in the institute has increased significantly over the past decade – from about 3000 in the 1970s/80s to nearly 13000 in 2022 -- while most of the legacy hostels are now old and need refurbishment or replacement. The alumni of IIT Bombay have banded together through the IITB Alumni Association (IITBAA) and IITB Heritage Foundation (IITBHF) to help refurbish the old hostels and build new ones.

The project was conceptualized when some of our alumni, under the stewardship of Mr. Dhananjay Saheba (Class of '77, H5), came together to raise funds and refurbish Hostel 5. Emboldened by the success of this initiative, the alumni decided to replicate the same model for future hostels, where the alumni will lead the fundraising and the design and construction of new hostels.

As a next step in Project Evergreen, the alumni are raising Rs.187 crore (USD 22.8 mill) to create about 1,100- student hostel complex on the site of the current hostel 8. This state-of-the-art hostel complex is also being designed and constructed by the alumni and serves as a benchmark for future hostels.

Hostels 7 and 8 have been declared unsafe for occupation, evacuated, and demolished. Hostels 1-8 and the Ladies Hostel were built in the 1960s. They are past their design life. Overall, there is a net shortfall of around 6000 hostel rooms. This has resulted in hostels with double and triple occupancy.

The government has recently opened up many new IITs, IIMs, and AIIMSs. MHRD has limited Capex funding available and is diverting it to the needs of the new institutions. It has asked the older IITs to find, on their own, external financing for Capex to replace the ageing infrastructure.

IITB's revenue streams, via fees and consulting, are adequate to cover the OpEx incurred but not funded by MHRD, but there are no funds for Capex. Further, raising fees is not an option for IITB. The institute director has, therefore, reached out to alumni to help IITB alleviate student difficulties in housing. Project Evergreen is IITBAA's response. It is ambitious but necessary. The student need is dire.

These hostels will be better in several ways:

• The designs are based on a survey done with all stakeholders, including present students, the Institute administration, catering contractors, maintenance teams, etc. to understand their needs, their difficulties, and their priorities.
• H7 & H8 were built over 50 years ago. Technological advances in building materials, engineering processes and QC will all be incorporated in the new avatar.
• We are incorporating eco-friendly measures, using grey water recycling, solar energy generation, building layout and topography management to maximize natural ventilation and daylight in rooms and corridors. The tree count will not reduce. Some trees were cut with Municipality permission, but twice that number will be planted by IITB. Some big trees have been relocated to make space for construction footprint, and the majority have been retained.
• New student amenities include laundromats, study rooms for group study, spacious lounges, activity rooms, gyms, guest rooms for visiting family, a central plaza for students to interact, and a 24-hour café. The kitchen will serve 4400 meals daily across b/f, lunch, tiffin, and dinner.
• The project is led by alumni who are leaders in the construction industry – will ensure cost-effective and high-quality construction.

Yes and no. The girls and boys will be housed in separate residential towers. The dining hall, the plaza, canteen/café, and other facilities will be shared. This presents an opportunity to drive economies of scale and lower the long-term cost of operating common facilities. This is a first step in moving towards truly mixed living facilities as in universities abroad.

Each hostel floor has multiple breakout areas where the wing members can hang out. Other shared facilities include a mess/dining area, study rooms, gym, music rooms, and breakout areas. Standard amenities, such as a dining area, study, foyers, recreational areas, and café, are on the two lower levels. The project creates a healthy and thriving social network through multiple social spaces.

As things stand, the responsibility of maintenance will lie with IITB. However, we plan to propose to the institute that they allow the alumni to maintain the hostel through the Alumni Association-appointed staff once we have completed the financial closure on the construction. It is expected that resident students will also have a part to play. We plan to formalize the maintenance plan after the construction.

The project execution has been structured in two phases. In phase 1, we completed the design, received approvals, and generated the tender document. This has been achieved through the generous donations of 28 alumni (Charter Donors) who contributed Rs. 4 cr.

Phase 2 involves construction, for which we have already received Rs. 95 crores and have pledges of Rs. 30 crores more. In the unlikely event if we do not raise money, the project will be handed over to IITB to enable them to complete it with their funds. Of course, it is anticipated that we will raise the money and complete the project by no later than June 2025.

There will be a total of 848 residential rooms across the three hostels. 33% of these will be double rooms, and the balance will be single rooms.

The total number of students that can be accommodated will be 1127. However, a plan is to keep some rooms aside for guests and family visitors.

We are building a space that students can call home without giving them a feeling of being stuffed like sardines in a can. We have learned as much in the hostel as in the classrooms. We want future students to have a similar experience of hostel life. Note that in the same area where we had only 250 students, we are already accommodating 1127 by growing vertically.

Unlikely, they are building more hostels with the object that a premier institute like ours requires the students to have a good living experience.

The idea is to get the students to interact with others. The unique experience of growing up with lifelong friends is only to be had in IITs.

Limited facilities are planned within the complex to supplement what already exists on campus, which also needs enhancement with the growing student population.