UDAAN

Studio: Social Learning

Year: Monsoon 2020 (Sem 5)

Faculty: Catherine Desai and Freyaan Anklesaria

Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Studio Type: Designing through Space Syntax

Program: School till 8th grade

Knowledge is free, and there shouldn’t be any restrictions in the exchange of knowledge. The school aims to create a flexible learning environment, by maintaining a balance between classroom based focussed learning and peer learning. The design aims to enable healthy interaction between students of different age groups which can aid in peer learning, while at the same time maintaining their individual identity. It tries to blur the boundaries between work and play, by giving equal importance to both curricular and co curricular learning. The idea of a non correspondent model at earlier stages shifts to a correspondent model in the higher grades and the role of a teacher shifts to that of a mentor or a fellow travellor.

Classrooms with overlooking balconies viewing the common areas such as the playground on the outside and the atrium on the inside. Staggering the masses can help create interesting facades and self shading patterns.

Each academic block will be connected to immediate lower or higher grade block through a semi-open shared space acting as a spillover for the two, enabling peer learning between students of different age groups.

A double volume semi-open space could be shared between two academic blocks acting as a spillover for various co-curricular activities. This would help reduce the gap between children belonging to different age groups, and aid in peer learning.

The academic blocks could open up into central shared space or atrium. Each academic block is connected to its adjacent block through a semi-open shared space opening up to playground.