Location: Indore
Area: 11,000 sq.ft
Client Name: Manav Chetna Vikas Kendra
Timeline: Design- Jan - May 2018
Status: Ongoing
Scope:
Architectural Design
Structural Design
Sustainability Engineering
Strategies for water, waste, energy
Thermal Comfort through Natural Means
ADDITIONAL SCOPE -
Building as Learning Aid for experiential education
CLIENT
The client consisted of a group of 30 families who had quit working in high paying jobs and set up an experiment in community living. They invited us to design a School for their children.
SITE
The site is a 15 acre farm, a few kilometres away from Indore City. The teachers and students (150 children in the age group from 3 to 18) were living on the farm in nearby buildings.
Entry to the School from an edible farm
PROJECT BRIEF
The project is the design of a school for experiential education from kindergarten to high school. The existing school was operating in few makeshift facilities. The learning methodology involves mixed age group and project – based learning on the farms.
All facilities arranged around a central courtyard
CHALLENGE
This school was totally unique - the design brief did not have a single classroom! They had defined the aim of their education to be “Co-existence with Nature”. The curriculum was designed towards this objective. E.g. Students were learning directly on the farm through various activities.
View towards Library from Central Courtyard (small)
They were learning geography, soils and climatology through their agricultural work. Physics through the operations of power tools such as repairs of tractors and helping with the construction of their new school building. Chemistry through the Bio-gas plant and testing of the milk that came from the Goshala (They had their own Cowshed with over 100 cows of indigenous varieties). They were producing their own organic grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables and selling the surplus in the city. Through this, they were learning accounts, business and mathematics. Art & music was an integral part of the School curriculum with every student regularly participating in cultural performances, writing scripts and playing musical instruments. It was as though the Farm was one large project and all subjects were being learnt and taught as interdisciplinary streams of knowledge through sub-projects on the farm.
Ground floor plan of School
First Floor plan of School
OUR SOLUTION
We spent a week on the site with the students and teachers - attending classes, harvesting turmeric, learning how to milk the cows, understanding plantation cycles, realising how seasons affect decision making, taking long walks in the farm and driving a tractor ! We were awed to say the least. Upon a few brainstorming sessions with them, we decided that the theme of the school building had to be “Building as Learning Aid for Experiential Education”.
We understood that these children do not need a conventional building as urban schools do. What they needed was a series of spaces which would enhance and facilitate their experiential learning which was happening on the farm.
Children learn about time not by a Wall Clock but by observing the changing shadows of the Sundial in the courtyard
They learn about angles not by diagram on a board, but by opening a door.
Children learn about Water Conservation by using a calibrated glass tank
They learn about distances and space by numbers - feet and metres - painted on the floor.
Our quest was to involve the students in a first-of-its-kind Design process where students in the age group 12 to 18 years could contribute to the Design process in the following ways :
- Creating Contour maps of the site and measure drawing all existing buildings
- Interior design of individual rooms
- Creating Ideas for integrating Building as Learning Aid
Co-existence with Nature is one of the central principles of the school’s pedagogy. Hence the central design feature of the school is a courtyard planned around a large existing crowning tree. All facilities are designed around the courtyard. A stepped Amphitheatre and large shaded verandahs form the semi-open spaces between the open-to-sky courtyard and covered rooms.
Aerial view of Circular Courtyard
The facilities of the School building include
Laboratory- For hands-on experiments in medicinal plants and the milk testing from the farm diary
Mechanical Workshop- For making farm tools and carpentry tools
Library- For books and Digital learning aids.
Language learning laboratory with acoustic facilities.
Seed bank- Children organize the seeds – kharif and rabi - as per annual plantation cycles.
Art, Craft & Music Studio.
Health Centre- For natural remedies and spa therapy
Since the School was in a rural setting, we relied more on building technologies for climate responsive architecture using the materials which were available within a 20 km radius. E.g. An innovative roofing technology is being used to create Spiral Brick Domes over each room. These are constructed without any supporting form-work and are as strong as flat concrete floor slabs. These will remain exposed from inside to lend a warm ambience and soft glow in each room.
SUSTAINABILITY
1. Materials - Use of precast ferrocement for the verandah roofing pergolas.
2. Climate Response - Integration of 14+ design strategies which makes the building thermally comfortable inspite of the harsh summers.
3. Water - Complete rainwater harvesting. A large tank with a collection capacity of 2,00,000 litres is designed beneath the central circular courtyard. This not only meets the entire annual demand for potable water but also keep the courtyard cool.
4. Waste - Ecological treatment of all wastewater without use of any chemicals. The treated water is diverted to the farm
5. Green Energy - Integration of strategies for natural cooling and use of energy efficient gadgets.
6. Biodiversity - Selection of indigenous trees, plants and vegetation which enhance soil fertility.
Section through Courtyard and Library showing the shallow Spiral Brick dome
This project has also been covered in Trupti’s TEDx talk “Can a Building be a Person?” in Greece under the heading “Building as a Teacher”. Please find the link here.
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
-William Blake
Testimonial
The Project we had was no ordinary Project, It was a school for experiential education which consisted of no Classrooms! The education had to take place in the labs, in the fields, the corridor, the courtyard or the amphitheatre. Peer to peer learning was a strong aspect of the pedagogy. There was nothing like it. For this project we didn’t really need an Architect, What we needed was a MIRACLE! | And Auroma delivered nothing short of a Miracle.
Not only did they deliver the building, but they also gave our students the experience and opportunity to become a co-creator of something unique and experimental. Since the School was going to be something which would work on experiential learning, Trupti actively included the children to be a part of the making of something wonderful !| The attention to detail, understanding not only our current requirements but future proofing it with the things we might need later, Architect Trupti Doshi and her Team including Ms. Gayathri created what we can call a benchmark in the field of educational environments. | The process of designing the School with this collaborative approach was planned and executed to meticulous detail. | The building is not only functional, but innovative and aesthetically pleasing. It is a fine blend of the extraordinary along with an elegant simplicity. The manner in which they have integrated the “Building as a Learning Aid” is something which will make our School building a truly unique landmark. | Auroma has a great team of seasoned professionals who are very courteous and extremely competent. They were able to create something better than what we had imagined and dreamt of for our School ! - Mr. Pranjay Gupta, Educator & Co-ordinator, School for Integral Education, Indore.
