Location Joram, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Program School
Size 7,200 SFT
Status built 2021
Jorum is located at the north east part of India. The temperature varies from 7c min to 25c max. The school is designed with each classroom separated from each other forming a private small court for each classroom. The houses of local tribes are constructed to meet the challenge of the nature, as living conditions are very tough in this area (temp 7 to 25c). Most of the houses are built on the edge leading to flat area. This, is their traditional way of keeping flat land for celebrations of local festivals and slopes for farming particular plants like cardamom, oranges etc.
In a similar way school building is designed on the edge of flat surface & slope by creating a stepped classroom by maintaining a flat land for playground. All classrooms are connected by meandering corridors which encourage the informal seating, meeting places, libraries and landscape. This connecting passage allows continuous visual connection with playground and surrounding landscape on one side.
Every classroom has sufficient indirect natural light from top and minimum openings on valley side to prevent cold wind and protect from local cold weather. All the classrooms are connected by meandering corridors with various functions like libraries, seating places and landscapes. Gutters are provided to collect the rain water and taken into the harvesting tank.
By observing a behavioral pattern of students to natural topography new planning strategy was evolved. Instead of a conventional grand entry point and foyer, multiple narrow accesses were provided by finding their habitual paths like their traditional villages.
The school is planned without any boundaries to connect with surrounding nature.
Image ©Simon Menges