architecture - civil engineering - landscape architecture - surveying - government relations

Sri Shirdi Sai BabaT of emple DFW

1 GARBHAGRIHA & SIKHARA 2 TEMPLE HALL 3 MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING 4 FUTURE BUILDING FOOTPRINT 5 COURTYARD 6 GANAPATI SHRINE 7 PRADAKSHINA PATH 8 GROVE

9 PARTERRE (PLANTING BEDS)10 REFLECTING PONDS11 GURUSTHAN12 PARKING LOT13 FIRE LANE &FUTURE PARKING14 HOMA KUNDA15 MASONRY FENCE16 LANDSCAPE BUFFER ZONE

Although not noted in the temple program, the renderings include a Ganapati Shrine on the east-west axis of the Vaastu Mandala. This shrine was included to suggest how additional shrines might be accommodated on the Temple site in relationship to the Temple Buildings, the Manda-la, and the Pradakshina Path. This Pradakshina Path surrounds the future footprints of the Temple Buildings and is derived from the 256 Pada Vaastu Mandala.

The Landscape program for the Temple site is deliberately simple and architectural in character, reinforcing, through the regular placement of trees and hedges, the geometries of the Mandala underlying the Temple plan. The Landscape plan includes parterres (geometric planting beds) that can be used for growing flowers to be used in Temple services. The Landscaping includes a tree in an enclosure recalling the old Gurusthan in Shirdi (Sassafras Albidum, a native tree with reputation as a panacea similar to that enjoyed by the Neem tree in India – the variant of Neem that will grow in Plano, Ghoda Neem or Melia Azedarach, is highly toxic).

Reflecting pools are shown in the Northeast Quadrant of the Vaastu Mandala, for the use and enjoyment of the congregants and for incorporation in the Pradakshina Path. Consideration will be given to collecting roof water at this location (especially from the Temple Hall) for use in irrigation and for replenishing the ponds.

The site pavement includes a Fire Lane extending only so far as is required by the Fire Code. It is anticipated that this Fire Lane will be expanded in future project phases: the plans will ac-commodate either a second driveway on Plano Parkway or a connection back to the original Temple driveway. The extended Fire Lane will accommodate sufficient head-in parking spaces along its length to meet City requirements for the expanded Temple. The intent is not to pave these additional parking spaces: parking on prepared areas of lawn or provision of grasscrete or a similar soil stabilization method would allow for half of the total parking spaces to remain green when not in use, with obvious benefits both in construction cost and sustainability.

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architecture - civil engineering - landscape architecture - surveying - government relations

Sri Shirdi Sai BabaT of emple DFW

The Garbhagriha is located at the center point of the Manduka Man-dala (64 Pada) from which the project Vaastu is derived, and oc-cupies an area of 4 Pada. It is also the center point of the larger 256 Pada Mandala that establishes the layout of the site. The Garbha-griha is surrounded by a Pradakshina Ambulatory. The Sikhara above the Garbhagriha recalls that of the Samadhi Mandir at Shirdi.

The Temple Hall occupies an area of 64 Pada, corresponding to the area of the Manduka Mandala of the Garbhagriha, and is sized to comfortably accommodate 600 worshipers. The Dwarakamai, Gurus-than, and Chavadi are all extensions to the Temple Hall. The Temple Hall is planned to permit future expansion to accommodate 1,200 worshipers without significant disruption of Temple services. The Ves-tibule includes shoe and cloak racks and a handwash sink, and is surmounted by a Gopuram.

Subsidiary spaces include a Sacristy (Priests’ Room) for the use of Tem-ple clergy with a sink for the cleaning of Puja items and cupboards for their storage; Restrooms; Cloak Rooms with shoe racks, Temple Offices, a commercial Kitchen, and a Multipurpose Hall with a dais. The building area containing these subsidiary spaces is planned to accommodate future expansion to include a Library and Classrooms without requiring reconstruction of the Restrooms or Kitchen, which are sized to accommodate future needs. The flat roof of the expand-ed Library and Classrooms is ideally suited, in terms of orientation and exposure, for the installation of a photovoltaic array, an option that may be considered as a future improvement.

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1 GARBHAGRIHA 2 PRADAKSHINA AMBULATORY 3 TEMPLE HALL 4 DWARAKAMAI 5 GURUSTHAN 6 CHAVADI 7 VESTIBULE 8 SACRISTY 9 TEMPLE OFFICE

10 CLOAK ROOM11 RESTROOMS12 KITCHEN13 MULTIPURPOSE HALL14 COURTYARD15 FUTURE TEMPLE HALL16 FUTURE LIBRARY & CLASS-ROOMS

SUPPLEMENTAL CAPTIONS FOR SITE PLAN

1. GARBHAGRIHA AND SIKHARA: The Garbhagriha is located at the center point of the Mandalas from

which the project Vaastu is derived.

2. TEMPLE HALL: Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir.

3. MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING: The Multipurpose Building contains supporting facilities associated with the

operation of the Temple.

4. FUTURE BUILDING FOOTPRINT: The building and site plans were prepared in anticipation of the future

expansion of the Temple.

5. COURTYARD: The Courtyard is provided to significantly increase, at relatively little cost, the usable

area of the Multipurpose Hall.

6. GANAPATI SHRINE: Although not noted in the temple program, the renderings include a Ganapati

Shrine on the east-west axis of the Vaastu Mandala. This shrine was included to suggest how

additional shrines might be accommodated on the Temple site in relationship to the Temple

Buildings, the Mandala, and the Pradakshina Path.

7. PRADAKSHINA PATH: A Pradakshina Path is shown on the Site Plans surrounding the future footprints of

the Temple Buildings. This Path is derived from the 256 Pada Vaastu Mandala and is not concentric

like the Pradakshina Ambulatory, but shifted to the propitious Northeast.

8. GROVE: The Landscape program for the Temple site is deliberately simple and architectural in

character, reinforcing, through the regular placement of trees and hedges, the geometries of the

Mandala underlying the Temple plan.

9. PARTERRE (PLANTING BEDS: The Landscape plan includes parterres (geometric planting beds) that

can be used for growing flowers to be used in Temple services.

10. REFLECTING PONDS: Reflecting pools are shown in the Northeast Quadrant of the 256 Pada Vaastu

Mandala, for the use and enjoyment of the congregants and for incorporation in the Pradakshina

Path. Consideration will be given to collecting roof water at this location (especially from the Temple

Hall) for use in irrigation and for replenishing the ponds. Such a use of rainwater will simultaneously

satisfy both Vaastu and sustainability considerations independent of the storm drainage program for

the parking areas, which must by economic necessity drain to the Northwest corner of the site,

where stormwater controls will be accommodated beyond the boundary of the 256 Pada Mandala.

11. GURUSTHAN: The Landscaping includes a Sassafras Albidum tree in an enclosure recalling the old

Gurusthan in Shirdi

12. PARKING LOT: The initial phase of Parking Lot construction accommodates the number of spaces

required by the City of Plano for the original 600 congregants

13. FIRE LANE and FUTURE PARKING: The site pavement includes a Fire Lane extending only as far as is

required by the Fire Code. It is anticipated that this Fire Lane will be expanded in future project

phases: the plans will accommodate either a second driveway on Plano Parkway or a connection

back to the original Temple driveway. The extended Fire Lane will accommodate sufficient head-in

parking spaces along its length to meet City requirements for the expanded Temple. The intent is not

to pave these additional parking spaces: parking on prepared areas of lawn or provision of

grasscrete or a similar soil stabilization method would allow for half of the total parking spaces to

remain green when not in use, with obvious benefits both in construction cost and sustainability.

14. HOMA KUNDA: The site plan includes a location for a Homa Kunda at the Southeast Quadrant of the

256 Pada Vaastu Mandala.

15. MASONRY FENCE: The Masonry Fence on the North side of the site is a requirement of the City of

Plano. A similar fence (or landscape screen) is shown on the West side of the site.

16. LANDSCPE BUFFER ZONE: The Landscape Buffer Zone is required by the City of Plano.

SUPPLEMENTAL CAPTIONS FOR BUILDING PLAN

1. GARBHAGRIHA: The Garbhagriha containing the Murthi of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba is located at the center

point of the Manduka Mandala (64 Pada) from which the Temple Vaastu is derived. It is also the

center point of the larger 256 Pada Mandala that informs the Vaastu of the site (the Pada of the

larger site Mandala are four times the area of the Pada of the smaller). The Sikhara surmounting the

Garbhagriha recalls that of the Samadhi Mandir at Shirdi.

2. PRADAKSHINA AMBULATORY: The ambulatory is located at the perimeter of the Garbhagriha in order

to provide ample accommodation for congregants performing Parikrama. The ambulatory is one

smaller Pada wide (i.e. one quarter the width of the Garbhagriha).

3. TEMPLE HALL: The temple hall occupies an area of 64 smaller Pada, corresponding to the area of the

Manduka Mandala, and sized to comfortably accommodate 600 worshipers.

4. DWARAKAMAI: The Dwarakamai, an extension to the Temple Hall, contains the Dhuni, a mihrab

correctly oriented towards Mecca, and a portrait of Sai Baba. The floor of the Dwarakamai is raised

above that of the Temple Hall to provide the steps mentioned by Sai Baba in his Assurances.

5. GURUSTHAN: The Gurusthan includes two elements, a tree in an enclosure recalling the old Gurusthan

in Shirdi (Sassafras Albidum, a native tree with reputation as a panacea similar to that enjoyed by the

Neem tree in India – the variant of Neem that will grow in Plano, Ghoda Neem or Melia Azedarach, is

highly toxic), and an extension to the Temple Hall overlooking the tree and containing Baba’s

Padukas. The Gurusthan is positioned in front of the Mandir, in honor of the dwelling place where Sai

Baba resided upon his arrival in Shirdi.

6. CHAVADI: The Chavadi is an extension of the Temple Hall, located opposite the Dwarakamai to

facilitate a Palki Procession between the two, in emulation of Sai Baba’s life in Shirdi.

7. VESTIBULE: The vestibule contains a basin for the washing of hands. The entrance to the temple is

surmounted by a Gopuram.

8. SACRISTY (Priests’ Room): The Sacristy for the use of Temple clergy contains a sink for the cleaning of

Puja items and cupboards for their storage

9. TEMPLE OFFICE: The Office provides working and storage space for Temple administrators.

10. CLOAK ROOM: Storage racks for coats and shoes.

11. RESTROOMS: Restrooms for male and female congregants, sized to support the planned full

expansion of the Temple.

12. KITCHEN: The plans illustrate a commercial-type Kitchen with a pantry and a storage closet for tables

and chairs used in the Multipurpose Hall.

13. MULTIPURPOSE HALL: The multipurpose hall includes a dais, or stage.

14. COURTYARD: Since the Multipurpose Hall, as programmed, is quite small, the plans show it paired with

an exterior courtyard usable in fair weather for additional seating.

15. FUTURE TEMPLE HALL: The plan includes an area for the future expansion of the Temple Hall to

accommodate 1200 worshipers. Such an expansion would require the reconstruction of the Vestibule

and the transplanting of some of the trees shown in the initial plan, but would not require substantial

modifications to any other building element, other than the necessary expansion of the building

mechanical systems. The temple design will allow such an expansion to occur without significant

disruption of Temple services through the construction of a temporary partition at the east end of the

Temple Hall to remain in place while the exterior wall is removed and the building expanded.

16. FUTURE LIBRARY AND CLASSROOM: : The site plan includes areas for the future addition of a library

and classrooms, the expansion of the Multipurpose Hall, and the accommodation of additional

building elements required by the congregation. As with the expansion of the Temple Hall, these

additions can be accommodated without significant disruptions to existing facilities. Those building

elements which would be most costly to expand and most inconvenient to remove from service, the

Kitchen and Restrooms, are already sized for future demands. The flat roof of the expanded Library

and Classrooms is ideally suited, in terms of orientation and exposure, for the installation of a

photovoltaic array, an option that may be considered as a future improvement.