Figure 1.2. Population Statistics – Kalyan-Dombivli: Source: @ project survey Kalyan-Dombivli city
The mandate for education of children to encourage progressive thinking requires a functioning and supportive physical learning infrastructure. The Vidya Niketan school building is 34 years in age with falling far short against goal of 21st century educational demand. The failure, is not surprising, because older school buildings were not designed to facilitate modern methods of teaching and learning. Plus, the building and site was built as the school land expanded further from a small plot to a 3.46 acres site. Typical classrooms are designed to be ‘Teacher-Centred Learning’ environments with double loaded corridors reinforcing isolation from other classes. Conformity is encouraged in a classroom layout where the teacher is positioned in a fixed position in front of a group of students. High interaction between students creates a platform for students to learn from each other and develop social skills. To be sustainable we must simultaneously design for greater longevity and increased flexibility of use. Hence the need of a new style of infrastructure with new techniques and activities to the old school of Vidya Niketan, Dombivli. In the recent times, the field of education has witnessed numerous variations on a large scale. Due to the rising commercial aspect, schools are becoming grander in terms of garnering the image of being the best one in its field. In order to sustain in this competition, schools tend to market themselves through various lucrative offers, thereby rendering the students as mere consumers of a product... Also, in this scenario, misleading architectural imagery plays a significant role where it becomes the platform to attract the consumers. 3
