The campus takes inspiration from the urban structure of court, cluster and street living of Shahjahanabad, the old settlement of Delhi. The aim was to create an architecture that would be a socio-cultural setting for fostering cross-pollination of ideologies in young minds. The notion of the street being an urban space and the community being the caretaker has been used to align movement along one narrow street with the individual blocks facing towards the primary circulation spine. A series of interaction spaces in the form of voids spiral up the form, creating a vertical urban scape that overlooks the central spine and the courts. The spatial configuration has been analysed to create maximum shading and generate a conducive microclimate, thereby extending the outdoor usage periods. Daylight analysis helped articulate the façade and ensure optimal light penetration. Indoor gathering spaces have been located below ground and open to large earth-banked subterranean courtyards. The subterranean landscape areas are articulated with water features and seating spaces to enhance student use. The IILM student housing is a project where the architecture and spatial character of the built form play a key role in developing the socio-cultural ethos of the student community. It is also a case where optimizing resource through material and morphology allows for reduced built form without reducing functionality. The IILM Campus was awarded the FuturArc Green Leadership Award for innovative ecologically responsive green architecture in Asia.