The
extension block at Dr Dhaval Rajnikant Mehta primary school is a depiction of
the age-old Indian tradition of gaining knowledge under a tree located at the
centre of the village. The village of Shapar is an industrial settlement with
most of its population being daily wage factory workers from different Indian
states. The children often quit education due to the nature of the parent's
jobs and wind up looking after their younger siblings and providing them meals.
However,
this school has students way more than the infrastructure they had because of
good education and free midday meals. This encouraged the parents to send
students to school and take interest in their educational well-being.
The campus
has the main building sitting at its end. Few unplanned structures line the
eastern side and a beautiful neem tree seems to be the fulcrum holding all
these buildings at a distance. The foreground acts as a stage for many
activities, including midday meals, sports and co-curricular activities.
We placed
the school right under the neem tree as a tribute symbolizing the rich history.
The extension block is a simple typical floor plan with three classrooms on the
top and three on the bottom except for the interior walls. The ground floor is
temporarily left open to double as a prayer hall, adding two partitions can
give three more classrooms in the future.
With the
space and budget limitations, we tried executing minimal ideas and methods to
create playful spaces. The building's openings are designed to have an
interesting play of light while thoughtfully framing the outside. There is a
strong connection between the users of the building and the trees on the campus
through this collection of openings on the front facade.
The building
wears an earthy tone, which lets the white walls on the facade stand out. The
greys frame these white walls while the primary colours on the jamb highlight
the campus like a photo frame on a wall. The small circular opening at the end
of the corridor on the top floor encircles the neem tree with a yellow line
reinforcing the initial thought.
The door and
windows form playful details to interact with the children. The doors have a
small blackboard which acts as a canvas for kids to depict their identity and
number their classes. The windows have a rotating yellow rectangle for play.
The glass in doors and windows keeps the interiors always lit. All these form
slightly contrasting elements on the earthy corridor walls.
Login with Google 
Login with Facebook 