New Facilities at IIIT-Delhi

As the monsoon semester of 2019 began and the freshers trickled in, goggling at the campus like tourists in Times Square, some of the older students had to stop and rub their eyes in awe as well. Because over the summer, the campus of IIIT-Delhi underwent some remarkable transformations - the biggest of all being that the area adjacent to the main gate that had once been an eyesore of construction now boasted a brand-new, sleek-looking sports complex!
Looming over the main gate, the sports complex is the first thing one sees as IIIT-Delhi first comes into view. The sports block contains a plethora of facilities. A half Olympic size indoor swimming pool, complete with changing rooms, spreads across the ground floor. A coach and lifeguards have been appointed for the students' convenience as well. A spacious badminton court, two squash courts, and a gym are simply the next in the long line of amenities. The sports block also boasts a yoga and table tennis room with two pool tables and three TT Tables, along with sixteen new guest rooms for visitors. A brand new football field is nearly ready for use, while the groundwork for two cricket pitches adjacent to the H2 building is already underway.

Another astonishing improvement the campus has seen is the extension of the Girls Hostel, which has already started allotting rooms, all with new furniture and a total of 240 beds. The Boys Hostel has seen an upgrade as well, with 136 new beds and furniture.

Apart from these, an entirely new building has emerged to accommodate the rising number of students, currently titled H2, complete with WiFi all set up. So far, it is occupied up to the fourth floor, and about 190 beds have been allocated to students.

In an innovatively tech-friendly move, the IIITD campus has also installed 8 Haier IoT (Internet of Things) controlled washing machines in the Student Centre, on the ground floor. These brand new machines enable smart laundry and are a completely new technological concept. It also offers an alternative to students, faculty and staff residing on campus. For those unaware, the machines are controlled entirely through the “Haier Wash App”. Users can reserve, schedule, monitor and pay for the services from their phones. This provides an end-to-end, digitally managed washing experience. Each washing machine is connected to the cloud and can be individually operated from the app.
The new incubation centre, now located on the fifth floor of the Lecture Hall Complex, hosts 90 seats and a world of ideas. It promotes and encourages young entrepreneurs at every step in their journey, and the new space allows for cross-pollination of ideas and innovations. It allows for interaction between companies from different technological domains.

When it comes to food, IIITDians leave no stone unturned. With this in mind, a few new food outlets have been incorporated into the campus. Chai-Adda is a small red brick shop located behind the R&D block and serves fresh chai and a multitude of snacks along with a rustic, old-school charm.

Surprisingly, this isn't all! The Student Centre has included a well-loved chain into its depths that the students are praising. The Mother Dairy shop offers healthy alternatives to students' regular junk food deliveries mostly prompted by laziness or weather constraints in walking to the Mother Dairy outlet in the Govindpuri lane. It also simultaneously satisfies all of one's ice cream cravings! Student favourites seem to be kesar kulfi and chaanch.
The Bikano café installed in the Lecture Hall Complex, still new and shiny itself, is another welcome addition. Students are often seen enjoying chaat or kathi rolls on the steps of the building.

With all these improvements, IIIT-Delhi is yet to stop and pause for breath. It aims to keep moving further, bettering itself for the myriad of students to set foot in its grounds generations from now.