Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
The new educational community, the Choice School,
reimagines school architecture in India, creating a prototype that will help revitalize
rural communities and empower future generations of children. The Choice School
takes advantage of defined
and focused spaces for learning and
development as well as transitional
spaces to encourage interaction and inquiry, creating an environment that encourages families and children to take
an active role in their education.
Building on the already close-knit society of rural
India, the prototype houses grades 1-12 in one building, fostering relationships
between students of different ages and allowing for a continuum of
learning. The new Choice School in
Thiruvalla has three sections — Primary School Block, Middle School Block and
High School Block — each containing its own entry, school administration
offices, classrooms, library and student commons. These blocks create a progression
of independence as students move from a more dependently organized Primary
School to a more independently organized High School. This evolution fosters
leadership skills among older students, preparing them to become successful
citizens.
Taking cues from the region’s cultural and climatic
contexts, the new Choice School looks like a part of the landscape of Southern
India and reinforces the sense of identity among students, faculty and the
community at large. Specific influences include the Kerala House Boat; local
materials such as stone, clay tiles and Palmyra Palm; the area’s reliance on
vibrant color and texture; and the region’s tendency towards dramatic weather—a
mix of heavy rains and bright sunshine.
Fusing these cultural and geographic elements with
modern sustainable technologies and practices, the new Choice School is
entirely situated in its contemporary context. Relying on local construction,
building techniques and materials to mitigate costs and ensure the facilities’
durability and resiliency, the prototype’s design embodies the school’s case-by-case
educational philosophy. The prototype’s modularity will allow the Choice School
to build additional campuses that easily adapt to varying sites and local
programmatic differences while maintaining its core principles and functions.