The Rajasthan School

Imbibing the organic character of Indian villages& old cities, the Rajasthan School is a low rise 3 level school with open,enclosed and semi-enclosed spaces of various volumes. Taking cognizance of the desert climate of itslocation with temperatures in excess of 35°C for most of the year, each of theclassrooms is north oriented to derive indirect sunlight. The auditorium, primary school, and administrationspace occupy the southern side of the plot opening into a large sheltered openarea towards the north beyond which the secondary school classrooms, library& cafeteria are located. The semi-sheltered courtyard has multiple angularpathways, connecting the two parts of the school with landscaped play spacesthat foster engagement. Traversed by a series of linear trapezoidal framesand sun-breakers, this focal area has a constantly changing shadow patterndepending on the sun's direction throughout the day. The layout isintentionally fragmented allowing open landscaped spaces to be interspersedwith the school’s learning spaces. The entire school opens towards a multipurposeplayground & athletics track on the northern side. The entire circulationis through open naturally ventilated corridors traversing & skirting thefocal semi-sheltered landscaped court in the center. Angled vertical walls actas sun breakers to reduce heat gain from the east, west & south sidesgenerating cooler internal spaces. The complete electrical power requirement isgenerated by the residual energy of a cement plant nearby. In addition, theentire water is recycled & reused. The building by its design is thusextremely energy efficient. The organic layout creates a different character toeach part of the school orienting each space with different views &different perceptions. The Rajasthan School derives its character from theorganic old cities, with an informal layout, interspersed open & enclosedvolumes, designed in response to the hot climate, creating a school that isexploratory in multiple ways. Project name: The Rajasthan School Design firm: Sanjay Puri Architects Client:Shree Cement Ltd. Site area:190,000 sq. ft. Built area:93,000 sq. ft. Location:Ras, Rajasthan, India Principal architect:Sanjay Puri Project architects:Ishveen Bhasin, AnkushMalde, Pooja Prajapati Photo credit: Dinesh Mehta