Creating an iconic school, The Learning Curves

“Learning Curve” is a series of learning spaces interspersed with small open courtyards located along the site perimeter, create a large focal open garden & playground.”An iconic school is designed in township called “Swarnabhoomi” which is almost 80% completed, catering to approximate 1000 students from Kindergarten to Higher secondary. The design brief was to have good lite classrooms, administration office, staff rooms, principles/ director’s cabins, sufficient toilet blocks along with amenities such as auditorium, music rooms, gymnasium, indoor games etc. Open to sky spaces for social interaction and gatherings along with a big playground ground for field sports. A sustainable and vastu complainant building were major key requirements.A focus was on creating spaces conducive to engaging children & promoting social interaction. The building needed to be contextual to the site location and climate of the place. The design intent was to have an organic flow of learning spaces amidst landscaped areas of varying scales.The project comprises of Ground plus 2 levels. Reinforced concrete forms the skeleton of the building with light weight bricks for the solid rectangular external facade and Ferro cement for the internal organic curvilinear forms. The big terraces on 1ST AND 2ND level are covered with pergola to create a semi covered lite spaces. The floor finishes would be of natural stone tiles available around the location.Each space within the school is indirectly lit thereby reducing heat gain substantially in response to the hot climate of Raipur city in India, which has temperatures in excess of 35°C for 8 months annually.Minimizing openings to the peripheral road the built volumes appear monolithic from the external sides with large curvilinear scoops defining the intermittent courtyards between classrooms.Organically curving on the inner side facing the internal garden, each spaces opens into sheltered terraces and patios creating spaces for social interaction.The entire school is designed to facilitate natural light & cross ventilation rendering it energy efficient & obliterating the need of air conditioning. “Learning Curves” is designed to incurred within students a sense of discipline through the external solid form and enhance the learning, growing up experience through internal organic form. The intermittent green courtyards spaces along the corridors breaks the monotonous look and feel and allow a freedom of thoughts for students of all age groups. Thus, the building designs helps the students in their regular curriculum learning and safely explore their thinking process.