The dancing brick arches are a reminder of a child’s freedom. A scribble is indicative of not being instructed. It is the freedom to express yourself in the form of wavy, crooked lines, the only form a child knows.
Editor’s Note: “Adorned with dancing arches of terracotta and bricks, the design of this school in Anand, Gujarat symbolizes a child’s inquisitive nature. It is a place where the interplay of light and shadows evokes a profound sense of serenity. Thoughtful planning ensures that spaces flow seamlessly into one another, creating a harmonious environment.” ~Simran Khare
The Dancing Brick Arches Are A Reminder Of A Child’s Freedom | Samira Rathod Design Atelier
Almost all of us have been here in our childhood, and perhaps the closest memories we hold dear are not of significant events, but ironically of the insignificant ones. Of losing oneself to wonderment, to wander under the skies, to re-live in our vivid imaginations of the make-believe and many more phrases that make the song of our lives.
This is the premise on which we began to design the spaces of the school at Bhadran. It becomes a space where the child spends his formative years, where his first friends are made, where his first memories are etched.
This evolved as a quilt of many small events, of small places and spaces, to hide, to collide, climb, roll, run into and out of, to satiate curiosities of a forming mind, allowing its idyllic imagination and wonder.
Conceptualized from a child’s early scribbles that turned into a series of dancing arches, the school is an experiment with materials and forms.
The asymmetry of the brick arches reiterate that it is not always mandatory to be straight or conventional, but the irregularity at first glance makes the forming mind curious and question.
The habit of critical thinking, questioning and breaking away from the convention is what the building echoes. The plan is also irregular to allow for a meander.
Set on plot of land, surrounded by tobacco fields in the town of Bhadran, the design of the school grew organically as a series of classrooms that dance their way through the trees; encountering alcoves, cracks and crevices, projections, niches, inhabited bridges, boxes, khadkis & mezzanines – adding to a composition of experiences that would weave into the fabric of the school, much like the maze-like town of Bhadran itself.
The entire school is designed as a sequence of modules; each module would have a pair of classrooms and a corridor, with its tilted vaults sinuously strung.
Reuse of shuttering reduces the cost while using fewer resources making the building sustainable. Roof forms are a sandwich structure with concrete in between layers of brick on the top and bottom.
All the modules are designed to create repeated use of shuttering material made in waste steel and can be arranged in various patterns as deemed fit.
The classrooms have skewed beams with irregular jack arches, a unit of which protrudes to come to a skylight. The roof is waterproofed with a thick layer of brickbat coba in the profile of the arches forming a playful broken brick landscape even on the roof.
We have stayed true to one material: terracotta – bricks and only bricks in walls, floors, and roofs. Sourced from a kiln close to the site, it is the love of labor from around the town and the craft they bring with themselves that lends the building its immaculate semantic and precision.
Light for us is a tangible building material. We often tend to use it like a needle to embroider moments and experiences in our architecture.
The sharp dark shadows of the irregular arches in the corridor, the soft glow of tangerine through the lopsided vaults, beams of light through the slits and skylights in the classroom add to this experience, generating intrigue. A building; a school; where the play of hiding and seek is perpetual.
Fact File
Designed by: Samira Rathod Design Atelier
Project Type: Institutional Buildings
Project Name: School of Dancing Arches
Location: Bhadran, Anand, Gujarat
Year Built: 2019
Project Size: 18000 Sq.ft
Principal Architect: Samira Rathod
Photograph Courtesy: Niveditaa Gupta
Structural Consultant: Rajiv Shah and Associates
Client: English Medium School
Project Team: Samira Rathod, Akshara Verma. Varun Goyal, Jay Shah
Site Supervisor And Consultant: Jitendra Ray, Radhesh Ray
The Firm’s Website Link: Samira Rathod Design Atelier
Firm’s Instagram Link: Samira Rathod Design Atelier
Firm’s Facebook Link: Samira Rathod Design Atelier
Source: Archdaily
For Similar Projects >> The Rajakumari Ratnavati Girl’s School – An Architectural Marvel
The way we design spaces that people inhabit goes beyond mere functionality. It requires an intentional sensitivity to how each detail shapes the overall experience and interaction with the surrounding ecological context. Nestled in the suburban periphery of Nashik, the project occupies a 3700 sq. ft. plot located at the dead-end of a street, adjacent […]
Kerala style homes have courtyards surrounded by rooms on each side. Traditional Kerala-style homes have a central courtyard known as Nadumuttam surrounded by rooms. These homes promote natural light and ventilation according to the region’s climate. These homes, due to the feature of courtyards as their core spaces, offer beautiful opportunities for social gatherings. This […]
In a time when design is often reduced to trends, Yaahvi’s light design stands as a reminder of tactility, tradition, and craftsmanship. Founded by Nikita Bansal, who journeyed from Assam to the global design stage, champions a philosophy where contemporary aesthetics meet age-old Indian craftsmanship. In this exclusive interview, Nikita reflects on her early influences, […]
India, a nation bustling with innovation and a constant drive for progress, is increasingly embracing an unconventional yet incredibly promising architectural trend: container architecture. We are witnessing a fascinating transformation, as discarded shipping containers, once traversing the high seas laden with goods, now find new life as dynamic, sustainable, and surprisingly sophisticated living and working […]
This bungalow style house influences the site context and can be visualised in multiple facades of sharp edges & cuboidal form. Her,e salient features like U-Projection are an expression of the bench on a level one. The house divides itself into three bays. On the ground floor, where first bay acquire all public activities like […]
Imagine yourself on the terrace of your hidden mountain retreat, drinking a fresh cup of coffee as you admire the sunrise emerging from behind the rolling hills across the valley. This serene atmosphere is exactly what Hello Wood’s latest project, the Console House, is designed to offer. The Console House showcases modern architecture design while […]
As cities continue to grow and evolve, there is a growing desire to incorporate elements of rural living into urban design. By embracing rural living principles, cities can create more eco-friendly and sustainable spaces. Rural living is not just about wide-open spaces and rolling hills. It’s also about community, sustainability, and a connection to nature. […]
Located in the thriving city of Ichalkaranji, this is an example of luxury residences is a seamless blend of timeless elegance and modern sophistication. The striking exterior, adorned with brick and natural stone cladding, exudes warmth, character, and permanence. These rich textures create a visually captivating façade, harmonizing tradition with contemporary design while making a […]
Throughout history, stone has embodied permanence, artistry, and raw beauty in architecture. From the grandeur of Roman amphitheaters to the earthy elegance of modern villas, stone remains a beloved material for its strength, sustainability, and aesthetic richness. As design trends evolve toward natural materials, eco-conscious decisions, and biophilic design, stone has found new expressions — […]
The space adopts a biophilic office design and climate-responsive approach, creating a workspace that reimagines urban interiors by deeply embedding them with nature. The style is earthy, minimal, and modern with a strong contextual sensitivity to its location. Also, a lush canopy surrounds the bare-shell site on the first floor, allowing for abundant daylight and […]