A Capstone Project Report
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of
By
Rosemary Florence Joseph
USN: NU19UAR026
Guided by Ar. Palaksha Shetty
Deralakatte, Mangalore, Karnataka, India 575018
June, 2024
I, Rosemary Florence Joseph, USN NU19UAR026, the author of the Capstone Project titled Placemaking Interventions: Reimagining the heart of a school, hereby declare that this is an independent work of mine, carried out towards partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Bachelors of Architecture degree at Nitte Institute of Architecture, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka under the guidance of Ar. Palaksha Shetty and Ar. Shubhra Raje.
I also hereby declare that this work, in part or full, has not been submitted to any other University/Institution for any Degree/Diploma.
I hereby declare that Nitte (Deemed to be University) shall have all the copyrights to preserve, use and disseminate this report in print or electronic format for academic/research purposes.
Rosemary Florence Joseph USN: NU19UAR026
Date: 04 June 2024
Place: Mangaluru
This document describes work undertaken as part of the B.Arch. Degree at Nitte Institute of Architecture, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka. All views and opinions expressed therein remain the sole responsibility of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of Nitte (Deemed to be University), the Project Advisor, or the Capstone Committee.
This is to certify that the Capstone Project titled Placemaking Interventions:
Reimagining the Heart of a School is the bonafide work carried out by Rosemary Florence Joseph, NU19UAR026 at Nitte Institute of Architecture under the guidance of Ar. Palaksha Shetty & Ar. Shubhra Raje during the period January – June 2024 towards partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Bachelors of Architecture degree of Nitte (Deemed to be University).
Ar. Palaksha Shetty Guide
Date: 04 June 2024
Ar. Safiya MD
Capstone Coordinator Date: 04 June 2024
Prof. Vinod Aranha Director Date: 04 June 2024
The user experience of a space is always more than what meets the eye. The visuals, scents, ambience, sounds, quality of light, spatial characteristics, climatic experience and movement in space all add up to create a user experience that enhances the built experience. This is more so in the case of educational spaces, where children understand the world around them, schools are where the core learnings, memories and experiences of their developmental years take place. These sentiments of attachment in turn solidifies the place of a school in its immediate spatial fabric.
The Indian education system of today, on average, has always prioritized a competitive learning environment, where students are encouraged to devote all their time and energy to their studies over extracurriculars. While some emphasis is placed on athletics and sports, more often than not, when a school faces certain issues, the first cuts are made to the arts and sports facilities. This shows the value placed on extracurricular spaces by the average outlook on requirements for educational spaces, the confining, built classroom always takes the priority. Simply put, a great emphasis is given to the student’s academic excellence over the student’s holistic development and in turn, their outlook, approach and ideas on life.
The revised National Education Policy (2020) now targets educational reform in the school systems up until the Higher Secondary Grade and thus bridge the gap between the current state of learning outcomes and what is required. Among the aims elaborated in the policy include:
• Equitable access to high quality education irrespective of background.
• An education that not only focuses on the cognitive but also encourage critical thinking and problem solving
• Inclusion of experiential learning methods
• Move away from the culture of rote learning
• Introducing vocational crafts such as carpentry, pottery, embroidery as a compulsory fun course in order to expose interested students to other arts.
• Overall, a more holistic approach to facilitating the development of the students in various aspects rather than limiting them to rote academics alone.
Keywords: School, architectural interventions, placemaking,
First & foremost, I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to the Almighty for blessing me with the strength and health to complete my Capstone project and the B.Arch. course.
This thesis would not have been possible without the guidance and support of the many individuals who have supported and guided me by innumerable ways. I deeply appreciate all the support I have received and I am grateful to those who helped make this project possible.
I would like to extend my gratitude to my parents for their support throughout my academic journey. I am also thankful to my guides, Ar. Palaksha Shetty & Ar. Shubhra Raje, my capstone co-ordinator, Ar. Safiya MD, my college professors Ar. Nitin Bhardwaj and Mr. Deekshith Shetty for their guidance, insights and support. I am especially grateful to my peers who have been with me during my academic journey as an architecture student, in particular my friends Debhora Rego, Mariam Fathima, and Naba Asfa for their constant unwavering support during my studies.
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Figure 42: Changes in the site over the years.............................................................................37
Figure 43: Proposed Campus Redesign......................................................................................37
Figure 44: Site Plan....................................................................................................................38
NEP – National Education Policy
UN SDG – United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
PPS – Project for Public Spaces
IIM-A - Indian Institute of Management
SNK - Somaya and Kalappa Consultants
UNESCO – United Nations Educations, Scientific & Cultural Organization
ICOMOS – International Council on Monuments and Sites
WMF – World Monuments Fund
KFI – Krishnamurthi Foundation India
BEM – Basel Evangelical Mission
1.1
With the concept of placemaking at it root, this project aims to identify analyse the needs of an existing school in order to improve, and work with that which already exists to better benefit its immediate user group and local community.
The end goal is to propose design interventions that enhance the user experience of the school campus and in turn attempt to ground it to its context through programmes that encourage community engagement with the school.
1.2
• Open up the school grounds for community use: The programme, through minimum built, aims to encourage community engagement.
• Bring back what was lost: The loss of the open theatre for a new classroom robbed the site a defining character. The intervention aims to bring this back through what already exists.
• Enhance the school experience: By improving existing open spaces, the campus design aims to improve the school experience for both students and visitors by including different typologies of open spaces.
1.3
• Improve connectivity to different programmes of the school
• To formulate common spaces that encourage interaction between age groups even during learning hours.
• Reinhabit the existing built to better serve the school programme.
• Enhance the school experience by utilizing existing vegetation
• Rethink vehicular movement around the site to better serve its user group.
1.4 Need
• Much of the existing Indian education system enforces long study hours thus placing greater importance on formal learning spaces, which is the classroom which may at times seem like a stifling environment to a student, thus reducing their interest in studies and gravitating them to seeking out as much play and external stimulation as possible in what little free time they are left with.
• Considering the climatic conditions of the site, the available play areas are thermally uncomfortable for children to play thus creating semi open spaces to better facilitate outdoor play would benefit the development of the students.
• The existing built would require a lot of work before it could begin to serve an NEP 2020 aligning curriculum. Thus, a common platform is necessary where it is not only for the students but also the community after school hours
• The identity of the institution within its immediate urban fabric is currently in a fragile “floating” state, as fewer students are native to the locality of Mangalore. There is a need to ground the identity of the school through a design programme such that it holds its space even to its city even if a majority of its user group is from an outside location.
1.5
• As the site is located in a mixed-use urban block within a busy commercial locality, the project aims to tackle issues in its immediate urban context rather than a street-wide intervention.
• In an attempt to preserve the existing built which contain heritage value, the project will not be considering a complete campus redesign.
1.6
• As the proposal intends to utilize the most of the existing halted construction, it is possible to realize it by bringing to the school auxiliary facilities that would better benefit the interests of the students.
• However, it is also dependent on the budget restrictions of the institution and may be dependent on community funding and interest.
Qualitative Study
Literature Study Case Study
Review the past and present of Education Systems in India.
Review alternative education methods/pedagogues.
Review on architectural impact in educational spaces
Selection of case studies of varying scales
Analyse for strengths & shortcomings in the selected studies.
Comparative analysis of inferences
Quantitative Study
Study of existing site condition
Collect information through primary and secondary sources
Document & assess the existing conditions and surrounding context
Understand the activities during usage hours
Identify key points relevant to the site programme Problem Identification
Spatial Interpretations
Conclusion
2.1.1
Prior to the British Colonial Era, the education systems in India were that of Gurukuls, Buddhist monasteries and Madrasas. Although the education available at that time was distinct between the respective institutions’ theisms; from the level of authoritarian restrictions, pedagogues, facets focused on and overall goals, there was a heavy emphasis on the philosophical viewpoint that focused on the spiritual dimension of life which went hand in hand in their curricula along with the more practical subjects. As such the institutions were not that of any organization or board besides that of the religion that the respective society followed. (Sindhuja, Ashok, 2021)
Thus, their built spaces were often associated with the place of worship by proximity with an emphasized connection to natural systems. This could be through a place marking tree under which a guru instructed his students, proximity to the Mosque’s large wells/water source, or the gardens of a monastery. Apart from the informal spaces of education of the pre-medieval times i.e. the Gurukuls & pathshalas were the Universities such as Nalanda, Takshashila, Ujjain, Vikramshila & Kanchi. (Krishnamoorthy, 2019.)
These systems, though varying and heavily influenced by its religious & cultural context, aimed to ensure the all-round development of the individual that would go out to, in turn contribute to society in a more fulfilling and meaningful manner as a cultured person. The ancient education systems placed great importance on debates, discussions and all-round development.
2.1.2
2.1.2.1
The British Government’s East India Company was obliged to take on responsibility for the education of Indians when a new act was passed on July 21, 1813. This marked the beginning of modern education in India. This Act gave the Board of Control the power to authorize missionaries to start schools in India with licenses. Christian missionaries attempted to bring western education to British India by establishing elementary schools and offering education to the underprivileged, economically disadvantaged, and marginalized groups in society. Acts, policy frameworks, and educational reforms in India were implemented during this time to prepare the country's workforce for the modern era of industrialization and modernization. (Sindhuja, Ashok, 2021)
Alongside the education systems that were directly promoted by the British Regime, Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Aurobindo, and with other leaders, the national education movement was launched in 1905 as a result of the historical partition of Bengal. Their main goals were to restore India's former intellectual glory, instill pride in Indians through knowledge of Indian customs, culture, and religion, and highlight the importance of using Indian languages in the classroom. Both Sri Aurobindo and Tagore developed specific ideas about the teaching process while serving as active members of the National Council of Education, which aided in the reform of the conventional educational system. (Banerjee, 2015)
Indigenous knowledge and pedagogical practices were viewed as having very little value for educational purposes during this time. Instead, it was argued that indigenous knowledge was "deficient" and lacked a number of components that made it "modern." The "educated Indians" did not object to the new curriculum or content. Indigenous knowledge and cultural practices eventually disappeared from school curricula (Kumar, 2005).
The Swiss-German Basel Missionaries from Basel, Switzerland made a move to begin work in India when Chapter 1833 was revised which removed the obstacle imposed by the British Government’s East India Company because of which no social work, evangelistic work other than trade was permitted. When the Missionaries first arrived in Mangalore in 1834, they realized that the best way to foster a kind of fellowship with the locals was to first co-exist and learn the local language as well as to engage them in some form of productive work. The missionaries were initially dispatched to India with the task of establishing educational institutions & centres for the purpose of training future missionaries. This was towards the larger goal of solving the economic backwardness of the society and as such, had to be carried out parallel to improving existing workmanship in traditional professions as well as introducing new professions to better the overall condition of the society.
Thus, they established their place in the history of Mangalore’s industries, some of which included the printing press, clay tile industry, the weaving industries through which they introduced the Mission loom and thus the creation of the khaki cloth, clock manufacturing, lock smithy, black smithy etc. Their involvement in various facets of local industry improved the employment & literacy conditions of the working Mangaloreans of that time.
Alongside these efforts, in 1938, they established the first formal school in Mangalore which was also a co-ed school, with the sole aim of improving English literacy among the locals from an early age irrespective of the student backgrounds. This school came to be known as the Basel Mission Evangelical School and in 1888, the school was raised to high school status and thus considered as one of the oldest high schools in south India Up until the first world war, the school was under the charge of the German and Swiss missionaries. As relations between the ruling British colonial regime and Germans grew hostile, the Basel Mission had to relinquish ownership of all their properties in India. By 1918 the management of these institutions was transferred to Indian entities. (BEM School website)
Multiple studies from the pre-Covid times suggest that the Indian Education system is a failing system as it is more of a slightly modified system from that which was introduced by the British Regime. As a constantly evolving system one study states that “India’s educational development is a mixed bag of remarkable success and glaring gaps.” While access to basic education has seen significant improvement over time, the same could not be said for the learning outcomes and quality of education offered between the different systems that exist. Socio-economic disparities between different societies also impacted the quality of education provided.
Figure 1: Comparative education enrolment statistics between 2001-02 & 2014-15 Image Source: Kaleem S. (2022) India’s Education System: Issues & Challenges.
Based on the comparative statistics between 2001-02 and 2014-15, it can be observed that there is sharp increase in the gross enrolment at each level of education. Improved annual education budgets over this period has allowed for comparatively better infrastructure, teacher numbers and an overall increase in the number of schools to improve proximity to student bases all play a part to this increase in enrolment. (Kaleem, 2022.)
As far as a nationwide education policy is concerned, the government replaced the 34-year-old national education policy with the NEP 2020 (National Education Policy). The NEP 2020 which aims to improve student and teacher quality, replaced the 1968 & 1986 education policies which were still in effect. The new policy was drafted in response to the pressing concerns regarding the many challenges faced by the Indian education sector, as various disparities and issues saw little improvement over time.
Figure 2: NEP 2020 Image Source: NEP. Government of India
The primary goal of the NEP 2020 is to empower students with practical and theoretical knowledge and ensure a more holistic development of the individual. The policy first elaborates on the various issues affecting education from elementary to higher education. The policy reforms the education system through teacher recruitment reform and emphasizes on a multidisciplinary education system which gives equal importance to curriculum activities, practical understanding, creative fields, critical thinking and analysis, conceptual understanding, technological adeptness, & a thorough of ethics and humanities. Some of the notable changes brought about by this policy, among many others, in school education include:
1. Schooling to start at age 3 in an Anganwadi or a Kindergarten.
2. The education structure to change from 10+2 to 5+3+3+4.
3. Schemes of apprenticeships & vocational education to start from 6th standard.
4. Changes to the board exam model.
5. Emphasis on reduction of rote learning methods which results in students being “taught to the test,” instead of learning for their own development (NEP 2020).
NEP 2020 offers a thorough plan for improving India's educational system and is also in a certain level of alignment with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which is a framework that put forward 17 interconnected goals which all work together to attain a more sustainable and equitable future for all by 2030. Some of the SDGs that the NEP have been able to target include quality education, gender equality, decent work & economic growth. While the policy still includes the use of standardized assessment, other challenges persist such as effective resource allocation an infrastructure development. Overall, the NEP 2020 is a positive step forward in its vision for an enhanced Indian education system. (Mandal, 2023)
Project for Public Spaces defines placemaking as the act of strengthening the connection between people and place through the creation of public spaces that act as a centre or focal point for the community. (PPS, 2015) The transformation that takes place when the host community the group of people taking part in the process is actively involved in it is fundamental to the placemaking principle. Community members gain a more active political voice and a significant role in the revitalization of their local area when they participate in the collaborative and deliberative processes involved in creating meaningful public spaces (Ellery & Ellery 2019). To better understand this, a key facet that needs to be taken into account is place meaning.
Place is socially constructed and dynamic, shaped by social interactions, institutionalized land uses, political and economic choices, and representational language. Scales play a significant role in the relationship between physical changes in place and meanings. Both individual experiences and world politics have an impact on the meanings that people ascribe to locations. In short, people are characterized by their place identity, just as places are characterized by their meaning. If the scales at which place meaning occurs were to be divided into constructed categories of placemaking they would be; individual, local, national and supranational placemaking
To summarize the categories;
• Supranational placemaking comprises of the meanings that unite different groups based on age, gender, religion & backgrounds. Factors that result in supranational placemaking are not limited by neighbouring national bounds and can be witnessed internationally, for instance the kind of placemaking that arises in different countries’ transit-oriented development or even a common religious background as seen in the case of Christianity and the West, Islam and the Middle East and so on.
• National placemaking refers to when the state formulates an image of its place through various constructed constraints such as permitted access based on place and time of the day, vehicular movement regulation, development regulation based on factors such as terrain, localities, heritage, public accessibility etc.
Further place meanings arise as the further sects as created within a broader national identity, thus bringing forth a wider variety of spatial characteristics that goes on to influence local and personal placemaking.
• Local placemaking and its meanings develops the most immediate sense of identity to its daily user group as they are the most easily accessible at a communal level through common culture. Ideology, history, & social transformations come to connect in regionally unique ways into one particular node, and so can be seen as a counterforce to globalization as a demarcator of boundaries. Different regions attempt to set themselves apart from one another through their inhabitants, natural features, and cultural practices.
• Individual placemaking occurs due to the tendency to identify or ground oneself to the places they exist in, thus giving a place various meanings attached to it by different people. Some may be based on occurring activities, its personal history, interpersonal experiences, perceptions of comfort, grounding, or any other awakened feelings, positive or negative based on the individual’s relation to the location in question. (Saar & Palang 2014)
As these are constructed frameworks to better classify the scale at which place making and place meaning can occur, they are in practice very interlaced, as in the end they all relate to place attachment. The physical characteristics of both a built and unbuilt environment are connected to the sense of community and therefore imparts place attachment, and so it cannot be understood through quantitative frameworks but through the place meanings imparted by its individual users in time.
But when it comes to the locality level, a relation between place attachment and its socio-political context is also to be observed as both regional and national policies play a part in the resultant individual place meanings. All these interconnected factors in which space is experienced results in what is called the sense of place. Thus, a tangible expression of a place being made is when a sense of community attached to the occupants’ space has developed.
In the case of educational spaces such as informal study spaces, schools, universities, the kind of place meaning most easily identifiable is that of individual placemaking. Depending on other factors such as its over-arching impact on its locale, history, regional policies and so on, a certain level of local placemaking can also be observed and to a broader extent, based typically on the scale and perceptions of prestige of the institution; national placemaking and supranational placemaking
An example of place-meaning where all 4 categories of placemaking can be observed to the point of actual impact is found in the outrage that followed the demolition plans for some of the IIM-A buildings designed by Louis Kahn, Anant Raje & B.V. Doshi.
Vikram Sarabhai, an industrialist and philanthropist, founded IIM-A in the late 1950s after realizing that India needed to nurture its own crop of managers and entrepreneurs as part of its continuous post-independence modernization efforts. Although the task to design the campus was first put forward to B.V. Doshi, he deferred to Kahn. Kahn's project, which dates back to the early 1960s, consists of two distinct areas that are cleverly linked together: the block and court containing the Vikram Sarabhai Library, Lecture Halls, and Administration, and the 18 dormitories arranged in a diagonal, with equal emphasis on the buildings and the spaces between them. The facility is primarily constructed of brick, with some concrete intrusions for lateral bracing and tie bars.
Over time, the exposed brick surfaces degraded, likely due to water seepage and rusting of the steel reinforcement. In 2001, an earthquake caused additional damage and cracking. Then, in 2014, IIMA launched a competition to restore and update all of Kahn's buildings on campus. The aim was to preserve Kahn's architecture while improving interior functionality. By 2017, Somaya and Kalappa Consultants (SNK) had finished the refurbishment of the Library/Lecture/Administrative building and obtained a coveted UNESCO prize for the work, which was used as a model for the restoration of other large modern structures in India. (Curtis 2020)
When the renovation of Dorm-15; which was originally in the worst condition at the time, was deemed to be unsatisfactory by the management, they put forward an expression of interest to demolish 14 dormitory blocks and redesign it with new student accommodation for a larger number of students with unclear reasoning The outcry that followed the decision was not only at its immediate local (former students and faculty) and national level but also in the international architecture community and as well as the International Council on Monuments and Sites & the World Monuments Fund
The legacy of Louis Kahn’s IIM-A campus, not only for his work as a master architect but also for its grounded nature in its local context, historically, as well as in the present time and age cannot be ignored. As is the case with any institution’s place value, the first factor looked into is that of its current user group and then its broader contexts. At the individual level, to the students and faculty, to whom the curated campus design was a part of a familiar routine, bringing it a sentiment of nostalgia to many This is an attribute to place attachment where a significant period of an individual’s life frequented in the space has given it place-meaning. However, based on its actual user group which were residing students, to them the redesign seemed necessary as they desired ensuite bathrooms, air-conditioned rooms, and problems in wooden openings. This draws our attention to the desire of further divided spaces, spaces for residing
individuals where besides dining and entering and exiting the building there is no other interaction among residents, leading to a more secluded existence in an otherwise interdisciplinary campus. These concerns seemed to be more a want of the times rather than a necessity, unlike the concerns of structural integrity. It is still understood that the place of the dorms come together as one in unity with the other non-residential buildings within its campus, thus maintaining its place value even as a way finding elements among former and current students.
Its local and national level of place meaning is easily understood in its monolithic monumentality. To replace parts of a whole, it would be to lose its monumentality and its value as a local icon. Its historic context is also well rooted in the ambitions of postindependence India to rise in excellence, through an institution to bring forth proficient Indian entrepreneurs and managers. While this vision could have taken any physical form at the time, it now bears the form of the last of Louis Kahn’s planning masterpieces and thus rooted itself in the aspirations for an ever-developing India.
As for the global outcry that followed the decision, it provides a clear example of supranational placemaking. Considering that the buildings, like many other modernist buildings are not over 100 years old, they do not have protection as a heritage site and many modernist buildings have been lost to redevelopment as a result. This troubling trend had already brought the attention of international organizations such as ICOMOS & the World Monuments Fund (WMF) as well as international architects and historians. (Green. 2023)
This case study was to better understand the levels at which, place value could be observed, by example of what could be a heritage educational institution by a reactionary example, even if the spaces in question were not necessarily the classrooms but instead other facets of the campus. From this it is understood that as all buildings were integral to a united campus experience; to cut and remove certain parts, retain a few and redesign to perceived ideals of what is necessary, takes away from not only the place meaning of the campus but also that of the buildings which remain on its own in a campus it may not relate to anymore. Thus, restoration and redesign efforts must be undertaken with sensitivity to context and intent; of the place of the new and the old.
The private domain of a space of learning is always the institution’s building blocks; the classroom; the ruling domain of the teacher and the containing space to the students
According to Herman Hertzberger, the pedagogues that directed complete attention to the teacher alone results in the unarticulated classroom. Whereas in the case of alternative pedagogues that encouraged the student’s independent learning process, there was a need for “particularized spaces,” bringing forth, the articulated classroom. As educational requirements began to move past basic intellectual understanding and more towards holistic development, there came an increasing need for spatial articulation This was such that slowly, even the corridors and closest outdoors beyond the attached corridor could also become a part of the “space of learning,” which would lead to the primary classroom evolving into a home base rather than a permanent teaching space. This was to foster and improve collaboration among students, as the articulated spaces would have their nooks and niches, giving multiple students a spot of familiarity to fall back to after a series of activities; a home base. In an unarticulated classroom, this is typically observed among those that are seated at the windows or those close to the back of the classroom, who are typically most grounded to their location in the classroom, as seen in their adamant preference for that particular place.
This shift in educational ideology leads to a situation where at certain times groups of 30 or 45 students would focus collectively on a single “target,” while at other times the group focuses on various centres of attention. Spatially, this gives an even higher demand for spatial entities that are not locked off but open and inviting, where you may still concentrate on studies while feeling at home. Tiers of spatial development of spaces is thus identified as follows;
• Differentiation of a regular classroom within itself through nooks, ancillary spaces and bays;
• A threshold space between classroom & corridor that allows expansion of the learning spaces as required;
• The emergence of a learning “landscape,” shrinking the identity of a rigid classroom
2.3.3 The impact of school design on its students.
There are multiple studies on the importance of space design of the school has an impact on the performance and interests of the students who study there. Multiple studies support that designed school facilities that are sensitively planned according to the potential student groups have actually shown students appreciating their space of learning and to an extent even reducing truancy. While teachers, tools, and curriculum are key motivators for kids, the school's design and learning environment also should be taken into consideration Entering an educational place should instill a desire to study and foster innovative thinking.
The learning environment, as a powerful component, may inspire pupils to improve. As a result, effective learning requires good architecture and suitable learning environments. Multiple studies suggests that both indoor and outdoor learning locations, including pleasant routes and walkways, light sources, school buildings, and natural landscape characteristics, have an influence on learning outcomes. These variables help students and teachers enhance learning and teaching processes. (Ariani & Mirdad. 2015)
2.4 Inferences from Literature Review relevant to the project site
The literature review can be split into 2 parts; on education and the value of a place The literature study inferences are as follows:
• A strong emphasis on shifting away from rote memorization and towards an inclusive and holistic system that is accessible to students of all backgrounds. Encourage self-learning alongside classroom teaching, in an attempt to move away from teaching to the test. Encouraging extracurricular activities beyond just sports but also the arts, inclusion as a mandatory subject with options.
• Place-value to a school can only occur when students and locals attach a place meaning to it through individual and shared experiences. This occurs through programmes that cater to both entities that result in frequenting the place.
All this infers for the need of spaces beyond classrooms, although essential, sticking only to classrooms in a school leaves students with little space of their own (apart from the school yard). Domains of the student are needed to inculcate a love for learning.
Architects: pk_inception
Completed: 2021
Location: Sawarpada Village, Nashik District, Maharashtra
This school extension project was proposed for an existing school for the underprivileged students in the rural Sawarpada Village. Classes were held by 2 teachers for around 40 students in just one hexagonal room and its surroundings. As such everything within their proximity was of use to educating, from the walls, floors and the trees.
The extension of the school was a proposed solution for the school’s requirement of additional classroom spaces as well as a compound wall.
However instead of designing them as isolated/singular entities, the architects chose to merge them in a way that allowed the creation of a central courtyard which became the playground and a center for village gatherings during non-school hours. (Pk_inception 2021)
Strengths:
• The compound wall that curves inwards at the entrance, provides a distinct space for parking and smaller gathering outside the school.
• By opening up the school grounds outside of class hours, the central courtyard provides a space accessible for community gatherings, giving it a fluid multipurpose nature
• The design allows the practice of using the walls as boards through the materials selected, thus allowing informal class settings to occur along the walls instead of a more rigid setting.
Weaknesses:
• Low opportunity for expansion as the design takes up most of the peripherals of the site
• Learning spaces close to the peripheral courtyards may be unusable during the rainy season as they are open to the sky.
Architects:
Dhulia Architecture Design Studio
Completed: 2023
Location:
Shapar, Rajkot District, Gujarat
The extension building of Dr. Dhaval Rajnikant Mehta Primary School is a recreation of the long-standing Indian practice of learning under a tree in the village’s centre. Shapar is an industrial community populated primarily by daily wage factory workers from several Indian states, where the trend of early dropout to take up work prevails. However, due to superb instruction and free midday meals, this school has far more students than it has facilities. This encouraged parents to send their children to school and be concerned about their educational well-being.
The extension block has a standard floor plan, with three classrooms on top and three on the bottom. The ground level is temporarily left open to serve as a prayer hall; providing freedom to articulate the space as needed through movable partitions. The building’s openings are intended to provide a fascinating play of light while intelligently framing the exterior.
The multitude of openings on the front façade creates a strong link between the building’s users and the trees on campus. (School Under a Neem Dhulia Architecture Design Studio. 2023.)
Strengths:
• As an expansion project with tight budgetary restrictions, the design is minimalistic to the highest possible extent, but still accomplishes the objective of creating spaces where the classroom is not the fixed domain of the teacher through a free floor plan in the ground floor and playful forms in the corridors.
• Expansive blank surfaces including doors leaves immense room for creative expression of the students, the design is not micro-managed.
Weaknesses:
• Limited number of classroom results in low opportunity to create isolated spaces such as labs.
• Built programmes in the formal rooms are limited to the functions of a classroom only. Only the ground floor offers opportunity for articulation.
Figure 16: School Views
Top: Towards the neem foreground
Middle: Corridors
Bottom: Ground Floor Hall
Image Source: Dhulia Architecture
Design Studio
Figure 17: Aerial shot in context
Image Source: Dhulia Architecture
Design Studio
Established: 1926
Location: Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh
Rishi Valley School is a renowned educational institution located in a sheltered valley in rural Andhra Pradesh, India. It was founded by the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti and is run by the Krishnamurti Foundation, India (KFI).
The campus is known for its peaceful and serene atmosphere, which Krishnamurti chose for its remarkable sense of tranquility. Over the years, sustained reforestation and water conservation efforts have transformed the once-barren landscape into a lush green area. In 1991, Rishi Valley was declared a bird sanctuary, and in 2008, it was designated a ‘Special Development Zone’ to protect its diverse environment. (Scribd)
The architecture of Rishi Valley School is deeply influenced by its natural surroundings and the philosophy of its founder, Jiddu Krishnamurti. The school’s design reflects a blend of traditional Indian architecture and modern sustainability practices. A key feature of the school’s architecture is the use of central courtyards in the design of buildings, which is reminiscent of the traditional Indian forest retreat or ‘Vanashrama’. This design promotes communal interaction and ensures that the structures are wellintegrated with the environment.
The school’s buildings are designed to be open on two sides, allowing for maximum cross-ventilation and a seamless visual connection with the surrounding greenery. This design choice not only provides comfort in the hot climate but also fosters a close relationship with nature. There are a lot of outdoor classroom spaces because of the many trees, hillocks, and open space. Pedagogical exercises in pleasant weather are made possible by the concentrically arranged cement and stone benches surrounding numerous trees.
Observation:
- The campus developed in increments with a minimum built to unbuilt ratio in order to leave the existing nature undisturbed.
- Reforestation was successfully attempted in the site since establishment.
- Circulation in the campus is organic and porous allowing free access between built spaces and nature, further emphasizing how important natural surrounding is to their educational vision.
- Sprawl and points of interest (e.g.: Big banyan tree and asthachal sunset point, cave rock, lion rock etc.) are well utilized due to the flexibility of the curriculum
- Built forms in the senior cluster are pushed to the peripherals, acting as an enclosing element for their garden while the faculty spaces and multi-purpose room is placed at the centre of the arrangement. This results in a formal circulation along the garden squares.
3.4 Comparitive Study of the Case Studies
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S C HO OL UN DE R A N EEM R a jkot , Guja ra t S e miA rid 340 S qm D huli a Ar c hit e c tu ra l D e s ign S tudi o C ourtya rd O rie nted D ay S c hool S tate B oa rd C OMMUN IT Y CAN VA S Na shik, Ma ha r a shtra Tr opica l W e t & Dr y 64 S qm
Table 1: Overall Comparison between the institutions
Not limited to the built classrooms. All spaces in the campus is utilized as a learning space such as trails, trees, small outcrops, gardens etc. Clusters of learning spaces are oriented around courtyards Extensive importance given to the natural environment to the extent of being designated as a Special Development Zone “to protect its diverse environment. Zoned based on terrain, most of the built on the East of the site, leaving the forest and outcrop with minimum built Vehicular access permitted along fixed paths only for better movement along the vast site.
Limited to the built classrooms. Ground floor left open in plan for temporary articulation.
Not limited to the built classroom, articulated corridors and stepped courtyard are also used as classrooms as needed.
Oriented along the corridors, facing the layered foliage pavilion Moderate consideration as seen in retaining the old neem tree at the corner of the built and adequate trees at the pavilion offering considerable shade Stacked zoning in the built, only student spaces, no faculty rooms. No vehicular access into the school grounds, only a drop of point at the campus entran ce
Minimal within the school grounds due to small area of the school. Trees in the peripherals were retained, offering large patches of shade at the open to sky edges. All components located within a tight knit cluster, around the courtyard. Parking zone curved inwards into the school ground, separated by a wall. PROJECT
VARIATION IN TYPES OF LEARNING SPACES
Oriented around the circular courtyard
ORIENTATION OF LEARNING
PRIORITY TO ELEMENTS OF NATURE
ZONING OF SPACES
Table 2: Comparative analysis of the built to its surroundings
VEHICULAR CIRCULATION
Placemaking Interventions: Reimagining the Heart of a School
The Capstone Project is continued here...