Bridging the Gap
Maharashtra
2015 - 2017, Phase 1
The School is part of a residential campus for girls from distressed backgrounds. It is located along the northern edge of the central playground, its extended linear form making the backdrop to the open field. The building is organized in two parallel east-west oriented blocks with a courtyard in between. The courtyard is held together at one end by an agrarian roofed multipurpose hall and at the other end by the first floor lab spaces.
In the transverse direction the site has a steep depression to the north so that the northern block of the school is one floor deeper than the southern block. The courtyard spills down through this depression in the centre of the north block to create a public space which has multiple levels. This creates interesting play spaces for the children. The Library block straddles the two wings to add further spatial complexity and drama to the space below. The library is a largely open and transparent space which opens up to two sides with varied experiences.
The school building is essentially a simple diagram in plan with its complexity arising from the articulation of the spaces in section through response to the site conditions.
