The architectural intent of this school in Bangalore was to synthesize a complex design brief into a pleasant, comfortable living environment. Divya Shanthi Christian Association & Trust added this multi-programme building facility as an extension to its school and children’s home campus, located in a low-income neighborhood of Bangalore city. Also, to form a coherent neighborhood landmark that exudes positivity and optimism, emerging as a beacon of hope.

Editor’s Note: “The double-skin facade of this school in Bangalore, adorned with gracefully bent steel louvres and an operable glazing system, beckons with a unique allure. The building’s enigmatic exterior contrasts beautifully with an interior awash in vibrant hues, evoking a sense of excitement and joy.
The dramatic play of shades and shadows through the veil of louvres creates a connection with the kids in school and the surroundings.” ~Simran Khare

This School in Bangalore Unify A Complex Brief Into A Pleasant Space | Flying Elephant Studio

Design Brief

The building houses multiple programmes that complement the needs of both the existing school campus and the larger neighbourhood community. 

It includes children’s dormitories, a senior girl’s transition home, a teacher training centre, a primary healthcare clinic, a community library, science labs, a dining hall, and additional facilities for the school. Given the limited footprint available in a tight urban situation, the programme is stacked at multiple levels.

Space Planning

The plan allows for both necessary controls, including stringent security and privacy for the girl’s residences, and connectivity with the neighborhood backstreet and within the existing school building and campus. 

The new building design re-interprets the architecture of a traditional’verandah’. It is a transitional area that functions variously as a climatic buffer, movement corridor, and social space. Thus adapting the concept to a contemporary multi-level urban structure. 

A flat concrete structural slab soffit and ‘free plan’ permit maximum flexibility in the internal subdivision of space to accommodate changing needs—both specific programmes currently on different floors as well as catering to future iterations.

Double Skin Facade

It incorporates a double-skin facade enclosure: the outer skin comprises a layer of bent steel louvres, while the inner combines an operable glazing system with opaque walls. The louvres shade the glazing, shelter movement corridors, and informal social spaces while providing security and privacy.

The inner glazing effectively protects assigned programme spaces from inclement weather and provides acoustic separation when needed, while allowing deep penetration of diffused daylight and cross-ventilation.

Indoor Massing

The indoor massing simulates a micro-urban environment, with ‘interior streets’ between different colour-coded programme ‘blocks’ that are articulated to suggest street edge furniture and invite human occupation. 

The interior ambience is characterised by colour, cross-translucency, and reflectiveness that is set against the raw concrete surfaces of the building structure. 

Viewed from the outside, the building presents an enigmatic image with interior colour splashes echoing the bold synthetic colours of neighbourhood houses, combining shadows, reflections, and transparency filtered through a veil of steel louvres. 

Engagement with Local Community

The building engages with the local community at multiple levels. The children’s home offers a caring and secure environment for those without family support. They receive an education at Divya Shanthi School, which also caters to kids from the locality. 

There is extensive accommodation for girls, which also includes a transition home that prepares young women to become independent and eventually move out into the world. A well-equipped dining facility offers mid-day meals to all students while also serving the children’s home. 

Additional facilities that benefit the community include a special needs school programme and a teacher training facility. The library primarily serves the school but is also intended for use by people from the locality. A street-level primary healthcare centre provides quality medical services, including doctor consultation, a daycare bed facility, a testing lab, and a pharmacy, to the poor, free of charge. 

Fact File

Designed by: Flying Elephant Studio

Project Type: Institutional Buildings

Project Name: Divya Shanthi School & Campus Upgrades

Location: Bangalore

Year Built: 2019

Project Size: 5000 Sq.ft

Design Team: Rajesh Renganathan, Iype Chacko, Matilde Chitolina, Aneesh Nandi, Kiran Chandra

Photograph Courtesy: Manoj Sudhakaran

Structure: Manjunath and Co

MEP: HMN Consultants

PMC: Gleeds

Contractors: GINA Engineering

Source: Archdaily

Firm’s Website Link: Flying Elephant Studio

Firm’s Instagram Link: Flying Elephant Studio

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