4.4.3. Interview with Architect

absolutely critical in the design of conducive learning environments for children on the spectrum.

4.4.3. Interview with Architect

A structured interview was conducted with Ar. Benny Kuirakose, whose firm was responsible for the design of the Sankalp School in Chennai. The purpose of this interview was to get an understanding of the design process and considerations taken into account by the architects during the design of the school, given the lack of clear guidelines and standards for schools that serve autistic children. The aim was also to understand how the institute was designed with respect to the parameters uncovered in the literature review. The interview has been transcribed in Appendix - A.

Out of all the topics discussed, a few points seemed to come up with respect to the design of the Sankalp school. The clients, i.e., staff at the Sankalp school originally wanted to have separate rooms for learning, exercise (yoga), arts and crafts, escape spaces (blackout rooms) and so on. But the architects were of the opinion that instead of splitting up the functions into multiple rooms, the classroom size itself could be increased (it was increased to around 700-800 sq ft.), with all the aforementioned functions fit into different areas of the classroom itself. This would significantly simplify the circulation for the student, and would also result in a larger classroom area for the same no. of students per classroom (around 8-10). After a few discussions with the staff, this change was finally agreed upon, and this significantly marked a difference in the design of such classrooms compared to a typical classroom which is only attuned to hold lectures.

Figure 35: Sankalp School: Classroom Layout. (Source: Author)

The architects also made it a point to assign specific sensory qualities to various landscaped areas within the complex, in order to help students situate themselves within the school and navigate easily. Even the open spaces within the complex vastly differ from the other, which includes courtyards, playgrounds (for structured as well as free play), sensory garden, vegetable garden, sandpit, water play area and so on, each providing a unique sensory experience. The vegetation chosen for the gardens have been specifically chosen based on their olfactory properties. Play areas such as the sports court, sandpit, skating rink, pottery area and water play area each provide unique tactile experiences. All these gestures are intended to help students to intuitively make their way through the school like regular students and breed a culture of independence. The architects considered it a top priority to ensure that students could have a normal school going experience, but with a more responsive design, one that is sensitive to the needs of its students.

Figure 33: Landscape Plan. (Source: Benny Kuriakose, 2021)