The intensity of megacity urbanity, where air pollution and environmental degradation are preconditions for design. This presents a particular challenge for the creation of secure environments for education. Conceptualized as a ‘cocoon,’ this project for a preschool and kindergarten aspires to be a luminous safe haven for young children as they engage with early years learning through the curved walls. Organized as a set of organic ‘cells’ of curved brick walls punctuated by circular porthole windows, the learning spaces weave a tactile ring around a courtyard.
Editor’s Note: With the concept of “cocoon” at the core, this pre-school aims to create a safe space for children and a hub for inspiration. By incorporating organic design along with traditional materials, the architect aspired to maintain a nonchalant environment throughout the building. With perforated walls and carefully designed courtyards, the school stipulates an ever-evolving and welcoming habitat for young minds. ~ Rajvi Dedakiya
The Curved Walls Weaves a Secure Educational Space of ‘Cocoon’ | Vir.Mueller Architects
Lined with slats of birch plywood, a soft counterpoint to the brick, the courtyard assumes primacy as the focal space within, draped in a tent and illuminated softly from skylights. Exposed concrete columns and slabs, and terrazzo flooring embedded with stone chips serve as the primary materials for the project.
A concrete cylinder conceals an elevator and offers a canvas for the play of light and shadow; circles of light become a kinetic presence on its curved surface. The terrace playground encircles the tented courtyard, offering a safe space for the children to run, play, picnic, and soak in the winter sunshine.
Ecological values drove the design, but the clients unequivocally believed that building sustainably was not to be confused with obtaining any certification!
The building—a three-storeyed, low-rise structure, built to the seismic codes for a Zone 4 site. Moreover, it comprises a reinforced concrete frame structure, with infill walls built in a ‘rat-trap’ bond configuration.
This enabled saving a significant amount of material, using almost 35% fewer bricks. The interior gains great thermal comfort from the air cavity in the bond. Additionally, the building has a remarkably low air-conditioning load.
All exterior glazing screens behind a brick lattice for privacy and for the elimination of glare. Summer temperatures are routinely over 45 degrees Celsius (113 F). However, the building naturally maintains an internal ambient temperature of 32-33 degrees Celsius.
The entire building uses no paint. Hence, all surfaces—the terrazzo and brick floors, the brick walls and concrete columns and slabs, and the birch doors and railings—are all used in their ‘natural’ state. Suffused with natural illumination, the building uses minimal electric light during the daytime schedule.
The building routes all water to a small on-site sewerage treatment plant and treats it minimally. Additionally, it recycles it in the pollinator garden that encircles the building.
Most significantly, the two-year-long construction process offered full-time employment to over fifty masons, carpenters, bricklayers, electricians, and plumbers. Furthermore, the social and economic impact of this craft-based construction technique has been significant.
No commercial construction company was engaged. However, the clients and architects worked directly with skilled craftspeople, on long-term contracts. Thus, enabling them to have a secure work environment.
Over the course of the past two decades, the rapid urbanization of India has witnessed a dramatic fall in the caliber of design and the quality of construction. Most architecture is premised on the contract system, where the cheapest short-term cost of building seems to be driving the growth of our cities.
However, this project is designed and built economically (final construction costs were in the range of $42-$45 per square foot, inclusive of all architecture and interiors). Additionally, it posits an optimistic architectural premise: careful and ethical design may yet mend the fabric of lives in beleaguered cities and unleash new senses of beauty and opportunity.
Fact File
Designed by: Vir.Mueller Architects
Project Type: Educational Architecture Design
Project Name: Healthy Planet School
Location: Noida
Year Built: 2023
Built-up Area: 37027.85 Sq.ft
Project Team: Kapil Shokeen, Arushi Rana, Anant Mittal, Kamya Khurana, Mihir Bhagat
Photograph Courtesy: Andre J Fanthome & studio suryan//dang
Partners In Charge: Vir.mueller architects, Christine Mueller, Pankaj Vir Gupta
Structural Engineers: Skeleton Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
MEP Engineers: Prolific Consultants
Signage & Wayfinding: Studiomda Way-finding Design
Source: ArchDaily
Firm’s Instagram Link: Vir.Mueller Architects
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