The school building design is meant to be used for schooling and grooming young children in the age group of 4 to 7 years. The BRBNMPL Salboni Township is a self-sustained area spread across 580 acres of land with a colonial legacy. Located 160 kilometres away from Kolkata and 20 kilometres from the nearest town, Midnapore, the area of this school building design used to be an airfield for the British army during the Second World War.

Editor’s Note: “A simple spatial layout encircles the central play courtyard, with periodic screens and fenestrations that evoke a sense of playfulness and curiosity in this nursery school. The captivating central play area bursts with vibrant, colorful geometric patterns, embracing the true essence of a nursery school. Bathed in abundant natural daylight, the school becomes a haven for young, curious minds.” ~Simran Khare

The Area of this School Building Design Used to be an Airfield for the British Army | URBANA

Design Concept

In preschools or nursery schools, communication is conveyed through various mediums, including the emphasis on the quality and educational potential of the environment. The physical arrangement of the setting promotes interactions, communication, and relationships, all of which are crucial for children’s learning and development. Teachers thoughtfully organize the space to encourage engagement in small groups, fostering exchanges and negotiations among peers. This approach enables children to develop essential social and emotional skills that are vital to their overall well-being and success.

Central Play Courtyard

The entire building of Blossom Nursery School surrounds the central play area, like a courtyard surrounded by a building. This provides a semi-private space to the users, as well as several getaways to the outer space through cutouts.

The sense of a visual enclosure never affects or works as a barrier to physical movements. The building plan is simple.

Different rooms are organised in clusters, connected by a common corridor under one roof. The roof has punctures in different common spaces to allow the sun and rain to initiate a bond with the different attributes of weather.

Harmonious and Inspiring

It was mentioned in the design brief provided by the client that the proposed school building should be aesthetically pleasing, inspiring, and harmonious with the natural surroundings, highlighting the local culture, theme, elements, and materials, adhering as far as possible to the required safety standards.

As the physical environment is the third important teacher, it shall emphasise experiential learning following the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration, discovery, and play.

The school building was expected to be designed to have natural lighting, indoor plants, play areas, common space, etc., in such a way that it focuses on the student-centred, self-guided, and self-directed curriculum.

Earthy and Warm

The local art features earthy, warm colours blended to complement the red soil. Designers use various penetrations, screens, and cut-outs to shield against harsh sun rays while allowing wind to circulate and reduce heat during the summer. 

The centrally landscaped area is the heart of this school, with more than 8500 sq. ft of curated play area. The design combines a soft-soil area with hardscape rubberised flooring (EPDM) to protect children from injury. 

Bright and Contrasting

To make the entire area vibrant and attractive to the little ones, we have used bright and contrasting colours in EPDM. Having a line of plants along the peripheral area of the central court, the main area flourishes with bright red, blue, orange, yellow, etc.

The design of the colours and patterns caters to both play and fun and also supports various student activities, allowing for continuous sensory training. 

Under that, proper services were constructed to keep the area from any kind of external damage or natural disasters. For the peripheral green, we choose simple locally available plants like Acalypha, Bougainvillaea, Croton, etc. for easy availability and maintenance.

The design of the school’s premises draws inspiration from the local context of rural Bengal. The choice of colours, shades, and textures promotes the rural flavour of the site surroundings. The central courtyard encompasses over 8500 square feet of a carefully curated play area.

Thoughtful Choice of Materials

The design combines soft soil and hardscaped rubberised flooring (EPDM) to ensure student safety. Bright and contrasting colours promote a vibrant place for young minds and also stimulate sensory training.

Adequate services have been provided beneath the area to ensure that it remains safe from external damage or natural disasters. The ideology of nature-oriented learning greatly influences the design output. 

Fact File

Designed by: URBANA

Project Type: Institution Design

Project Name: Blossom Nursery School

Location:  Salboni, West Midnapore, West Bengal

Year Built: 2022-2024

Duration of the project: 23 Months

Built-up Area: 5068.8976 Sq.ft

Project Cost: 3.71 Crore

Principal Architect: Ar. Soumyajit Kar

Team Design Credits: Ar. Ayan Purkaite, Ar. Somdev Datta & Er. Rupam majumder

Photograph Courtesy: URBANA

Structure Engineers: Descorp

Landscape Architects: Inscape Design Studio

Contractors: AAECS

Firm’s Website Link: URBANA

The Firm’s Instagram Link: URBANA

Firm’s Facebook Link: URBANA

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