By Nirali Prajapati

Some 20 kms from Tiruchirapalli, a Tier-2 city in Tamil Nadu, one comes across a building with alternating wall layers of red wire cut bricks and grey fly ash bricks. The design of Rane Vidyalaya CBSE school - in Theerampalayam, Tamil Nadu – draws parallels from the layered cross sections of  50 year old houses in the region and the 6th century Thiruvellarai temple’s walls.

The school’s layered walls draw inspiration from the local construction methodology of layering – starting from huge random rubble and stone at the bottom, to finer solid brick work, mud and slate on top. The central courtyard of the school manifests as an interpretation of the mandapam in temples (a space where huge gatherings take place). Visually connected to all the levels, the courtyard is envisioned as a multi-functional space for lunch breaks, assembly exhibitions, co-curricular training and small gatherings.

A fun educational environment has been designed drawing from the local design language and construction materials. Built as part of a CSR initiative by Rane Foundation India Pvt, Ltd., the intent was to create an infrastructure for positive social impact in a primarily rural context with no proper educational institutions for quality learning, where the main occupation is agriculture and unskilled labour. The leading industrial conglomerate’s core values reflect in this educational campus for K12.

Of the envisioned two-phase project, Phase One with 50,000 sq ft area has been constructed presently. The overall design approach was to avoid sharp edges in walls, columns, slab edges and in every detail possible to ensure safety. The layout of classrooms induces a more structured learning as the grades increase. This can be seen in the more formal layout of higher grades and individual garden spaces for kindergarten, blending the outdoor and indoor spaces.

Responding to its location in the tropical belt, the school has been designed for ample light and ventilation. Minor wind tunnels have been planned in the East-West direction between classrooms to create a comfortable micro-climate. Major openings have been planned along the South East and North West wind directions. Roof perforations like those in the central courtyard form an interesting play of light and shadow. Terracotta jalis act as secondary shading devices and openings above lintel level help the rising hot air to dissipate, thus increasing ventilation.

Local materials like red kiln baked bricks, baked earth tiles, terracotta jalis and grey fly ash bricks have been used. Construction techniques from the regional context, structured pedagogy of the Indian educational system and construction cost of $20/ sq ft formed the underlying basis for the design development of this project.

Below are a few photos of the school.

PROJECT DETAILS:

Project: Rane Vidyalaya / Shanmugam Associates

Architects: Shanmugam Associates

Project location: Trichy, India

Area: 50,000 sqft

Year: 2018

Principal designers: Shanmugam A, Raja Krishnan D, Santhosh Shanmugam

Design Team: Srinivasan, Satish Kumar, Balasubramaniam, Mohammed Ismail,   Rukmani  Thangam, Praveen Kumar

Photo Credits: LINK Studio, Bangalore

Structural Design:  Ramkumar, Rays Consultants

Engineering: Hitec Construction, Trichy

PHE Consultants: D&D Consultants