Project Evergreen: Largest alumni-led student housing initiative launched at IIT Bombay

Hyderabad: IIT Bombay announced the completion and operationalisation of Project Evergreen—a unique initiative that is the largest alumni-led student housing initiative in India.

Intended to be a landmark achievement for Indian higher education, Project Evergreen has set a new global benchmark for alumni-driven impact, the educational institution said.

What is the project about?

With a budget of Rs 200 crore, three state-of-the-art hostels were built in a record-breaking construction timeline.

The new complex includes 848 rooms, 1,127 beds, and covers an expansive 3,70,000 sq.ft., making it IIT Bombay’s largest student housing development ever and a milestone in the history of the IIT system.

The initiative also achieved another milestone: Project Evergreen has earned the prestigious IGBC Gold certification under the Green Homes Rating System, making it the first building on campus to receive this recognition and reaffirming IIT Bombay’s commitment to sustainable and environmentally responsible infrastructure.

Reflecting on its beginnings, Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri, former Director, IIT Bombay, said, “Necessity is the mother of invention. Our infrastructure needed urgent upgrades, and the time had come to push the envelope. It was a risk, but we believed deeply in the power and commitment of our alumni.”

The former Director added, “Representing IIT Bombay’s largest student housing complex and a historic milestone for the IIT ecosystem, the project reflects unprecedented scale, ambition and collaboration. The new hostels are now operational and already enriching campus life for students.”

How was Project Evergreen created?

Project Evergreen began as a simple conversation between a small group of alumni volunteers and Prof. Chaudhuri.

What followed was a transformational journey powered by trust, conviction and collective will. Alumni leaders Narayan Sundaresan, who helmed construction and Kirat Patel, who led the development of the fundraising model, recall the early leap of faith.

“The initial response was very encouraging,” Patel said. “We began with an Rs 4-5 crore design phase supported by 26 charter donors. Phase two depended on our belief that we could raise the full construction cost, and the alumni community proved us right.”

What began as a core team’s conviction soon became a powerful movement, the institution said.

The power of alumni

A remarkable 2,700 alumni donors—from the Class of 1962 to the Class of 2024—came together to support the project, with contributions ranging from Rs 10 crore to Rs 1,000. Nearly 100 alumni volunteers also contributed time, expertise, and leadership, demonstrating the unparalleled strength of IIT Bombay’s community.

One symbolic contribution—a Rs 100 donation from a current student—captured the collective pride and solidarity fuelling the effort.

Applauding the accomplishment, Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director, IIT Bombay, said,

“Project Evergreen doesn’t just upgrade hostel life. It demonstrates what becomes possible when alumni and institutions work together with belief and ambition. It brings us one step closer to our aspiration of global pre-eminence.”

“Project Evergreen is more than infrastructure—it is a living example of nation-building driven by community, conviction, and pride. It shows what alumni can achieve when they come together with purpose.”

Strengthening the project’s vision, over 25 corporates partnered with IIT Bombay to support its mission of inclusive, high-quality student housing—making Project Evergreen a model for large-scale public–private collaboration.