Set within the dense urban fabric of Chennai, the Shiv Nader School campus conceives the educational campus as a porous landscape shaped by ecology, climate, and cultural memory. Rather than cleaning the site, the project is organised around one of its most defining features: the amount of existing trees. The architecture is fragmented into small, modular buildings. The plan hence draws inspiration from the local cuisine, or the local Chettinad thali, where diverse elements are unified on a single banana leaf. Similarly, the campus is made of multiple buildings brought together under sweeping roofs that respond to both climate and culture.
The Design Of The Shiv Nadar School Campus Responds To Climate & Culture | Vastushilpa Sangath
The architects structured the low-rise school campus along a looping circulation system that threads between the existing trees identified for preservation based on age, nativity, medicinal value, and ecological relevance. This porous organisation maintains natural movement corridors for the breeze, birds, insects, and small animals, allowing the campus to function as part of the city’s ecological reserve. They calliberated construction methodologies to minimise calibrated disturbance, with prefabricated structural elements assembled on site. Services are integrated within combined foundation and trench systems, ensuring adaptability while safeguarding tree root zones.
Climate-responsive design strategies underpin the campus’s environmental performance. Deep overhangs, use of reclaimed wood on the outside, and natural ventilation reduce heat gain, while a series of parasol roofs reinterpret the regional verandah as a contemporary architectural device. Historically, spaces of gathering and learning – verandahs here become semi-outdoor classrooms and circulation zones that act as thermal buffers and infection-safe environments, blurring the boundary between indoors and outdoors.
Material choices emphasize circularity and local economies. Locally sourced grey granite reduces embodied energy while drawing on regional craftsmanship. A secondary timber skin made from reclaimed decking wood sourced from dismantled ships adds insulation and texture. Solar panels integrated into the roof structure generate approximately one-third of the campus’s energy demand, while a hybrid ventilation system combines mechanical cooling with natural airflow to optimize indoor air quality.
The architects restored an existing on-site lake, absent from revenue maps but critical to local hydrology, as a reservoir and learning landscape. They harvested the roof water and surface runoff into the lake, enabling the campus to meet a majority of its domestic water needs. Developed in phases to ensure ecological and financial sustainability, the project positions architecture as an active pedagogical tool, one that reiterates the importance of porosity in our lives.
Fact File
Designed by: Vastushilpa Sangath
Project Type: Educational Architecture Design
Project Name: Shiv Nadar School
Location: Chennai
Year Built: 2025
Built-up Area: 435432 sqft
Principal Architects: Rajeev Kathpalia
Architect: Ar. Rahul Venugopal, Ar. Drashti Bhavsar, Ar. Lipi Maun, Ar. Gunja Rupareliya
Photograph Courtesy: Edmund Sumner & Kshitij Wadhwa
Manufacturers: Kalzip, Armstrong, Jaquar, Kajaria, Piccolo Mosaics, Somany
Lead Architects: Rajeev Kathpalia
Structure Consultant: Manjunath consultants, Manjunath & Co.
Landscape Consultant: Beyond Green
Structure consultant: V.R Shah Engineers
Landscape Consultants: RaA – Ravikumar and Associates
contractors: Larsen and Toubro
Project Lead: Ar. Rajesh Suthar
Design Director: Ar. Vijay Patel
MEPF: Jhaveri Associates
Source: Archdaily
Firm’s Website Link: Vastushilpa Sangath
Firm’s Instagram Link: Vastushilpa Sangath
For Similar Project >>> The Design Of The Astronomy & Space Science Gallery Turns Into An Immersive ExperienceT
The site is located in Ahilyanagar town of Maharashtra, with a design brief of 7,000 sq feet, while the house had to be designed for the hot and dry climate, which responds carefully to extreme temperatures, intense sunlight, and low humidity. The design focuses on reducing heat gain, improving natural ventilation, and creating comfortable indoor spaces with […]
“Pravah” — A House That Breathes is envisioned as the main concept of this home revolves around a fluid, light-filled home where architecture becomes a continuous experience of movement, air, and connection. Located in Pal Gamtal, Surat, the project is a residential redevelopment on a 1,850 sq.ft. plot within a dense urban fabric. The site, […]
SapanoUday is a contemporary residence that balances material rawness with layered textures and crafted detail, aligning modern living with cultural and spatial sensibilities. Designed by Hundreddesigns, the home responds closely to the client’s routines and artistic inclinations while thoughtfully integrating Vastu principles. HundredDesigns The designers defined the architecture through a minimal palette, using exposed concrete […]
KRIPA is a residence that reflects the personality and lifestyle of its homeowner — calm, open, and rooted in nature. The project focuses on creating light-filled, green spaces with minimal private zones, encouraging openness and connection. In a time when spaces are shrinking but expectations are rising, architecture becomes the medium to bridge this gap […]
The Sculpted Sanctuary is a masterclass in modern minimalist design. The project focuses on “Quiet Luxury”. It is the idea that a space doesn’t need bright colors or flashy decor to feel expensive. Instead, it uses raw natural materials, rich textures, and sharp architectural lines. This Home Is A Masterclass In Modern Minimalist Design | […]
SIDHARTHA, is a four-bedroom modern house which is functional and aesthetic driven by the specific needs of the client. The location of the site is in a dense neighbourhood in Bengaluru, India. The contemporary urban dwelling frequently negotiates competing demands. It balances generous daylight and visual connection to the street with privacy, dust control, and […]
Located in HMT Layout, Bangalore, Isha_Srinidhi Nilaya stands as a multi-generational home designed on a compact 60×40 ft (2400 sq. ft) East facing plot, with a total built-up area of 8000 sq. ft. East Facing a lush public park, the residence responds to its urban setting through a layered design that balances privacy with a […]
Timeless architectural features, such as courtyards, are always associated with bringing the naturally public forms to the world’s heart, building the most peaceful, secluded outdoor areas. These outdoor spaces maximize the living experience with their private space feature, which gives one the option for leisurely relaxation, recreation, or gardening. Furthermore, it has also been a […]
The Indian farmhouse accommodation goes on to capitalize on a mature evolutionary synthesis of ancestral aesthetics and contemporary features. With this, the outside and the inside of farmhouses became places of comfort with nature. In this blog, we delve into 15 incredible farmhouse designs that entail a harmonious blending. While they exhibit different spaces in […]
Plants for home garden, apart from making houses look more beautiful and inviting, add health and calmness to them. Having any kind of indoor plant, a herb plant or a flowering plant adds some value to your decor and the quality of the space. Always choose plants that will flourish in your space and climate. […]