The foundation stone for the National Institute of Urban Management’s (NIUM) new ₹200-crore campus was laid at Bharat Future City on Tuesday, with Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy directing officials to complete the project by June 2, 2028. The campus is intended to become a national centre for urban governance, research and capacity building.
The 20-acre facility will be developed on land allotted free of cost by the Telangana government. According to an official release, Municipal Administration & Urban Development secretary and NIUM Director General T.K. Sreedevi were among the officials directed to meet the completion target, which coincides with Telangana Formation Day.
The proposed campus has been designed by Sanjay Puri Architects as a net-zero and environmentally sustainable facility. Nearly two-thirds of the site will remain green and open, while the buildings will be integrated with the natural terrain. The plan includes rooftop solar power generation, 100% solar water heating, rainwater harvesting, treated wastewater reuse and low-carbon construction materials.
The design also incorporates passive cooling measures, including earth-sheltered structures, jali screens, deep overhangs and natural cross-ventilation. These features are intended to reduce dependence on mechanical cooling and demonstrate how climate-responsive design can be incorporated into institutional buildings in the region.
The campus will house six specialised action-research centres covering urban governance and financing, infrastructure, socio-economic development, urban mobility, climate mitigation and adaptation, and innovation incubation. A learning and capacity-building centre will train municipal commissioners, officials and elected representatives.
An Urban Living Street and prototype testing corridor are also planned, allowing urban solutions to be tested before being implemented at a larger scale in cities. The facility will include 122 residential units for trainees, fellows and visiting experts.
NIUM was selected through a national competition under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission in 2009. The Centre sanctioned ₹50 crore for the institute, subject to the State government providing land. That condition remained unmet for more than a decade before the current government allotted land at Bharat Future City.
Established in 2013, NIUM serves as Telangana’s urban think tank. The institute has trained more than 6,000 elected representatives and officials and has contributed to master plans, waste-management projects and digital governance initiatives for urban local bodies.
The next formal milestone is the completion of the campus by June 2, 2028, as directed by the State government.
