Author: Sakthi Jeeva S
Site Location: Vellore, Tamil Nadu
Institute: CARE School of Architecture
Advisor: Kartikeya Chhaya
Description
Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore has been a key driver of the city’s growth and transformation. As one of India’s most prominent medical tourism hubs, it now serves more than 9,000 patients daily. Unlike most hospitals, the majority of users are not locals but people arriving from distant states such as West Bengal, Bihar, as well as countries like Nigeria and Bangladesh. Many of them stay in the city for extended periods—often three to four months—until their treatment is completed.
To meet this rising demand, the neighbourhood directly opposite the hospital has undergone a remarkable yet unplanned transformation. Almost every building has been converted into a lodge, with the ground floors packed with eateries, pharmacies, and travel agencies. The Bengali community, making up nearly 95% of visitors, has also left a strong cultural imprint on food and language.
While this ecosystem is highly adaptive and vibrant, it suffers from poor spatial quality, inadequate infrastructure, and issues of hygiene and comfort. These lodges, shaped by urgent needs and quick fixes, follow a consistent but fragile ownership and functional pattern.
This thesis takes the position that equitability should not only be considered for patients and their families as users, but also for owners whose buildings embody fragmented forms of investment and livelihood. Rather than pursuing demolition and wholesale redevelopment, the project adopts Patrick Geddes’ idea of “conservative surgery”—preserving existing cultural and ownership patterns while carefully introducing architectural upgrades, programmatic changes, and spatial guidelines. By reimagining both built and unbuilt environments, the project aims to evolve fragmented lodges into a resilient, equitable, and supportive urban system around the hospital.
Drawings
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