School campus in India

A school campus in India with 25,000 m2 of buildings and a 15 ha landscape, adapted to the tropical climate by using nature-based solutions.

Unfortunately, when the state of Andra Pradesh bifurcated, the circumstances related to spatial planning and politics changed so the project was not materialised. The campus was supposed to have school buildings, residences for students and teachers, sports halls and fields, a performing arts hall, a blessing hall, administration and technical buildings and various gardens.

The site has a tropical wet-and-dry climate and is located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator (the sun sometimes shines from the north). Sustainability is applied in the following ways:

- low and widely spaced buildings with mono-pitch roofs and big overhangs provide protection from the sun, passive ventilation and collection of storm rainwater

- between the buildings there are tall trees with high crowns, which direct wind into the buildings

- there is no need for artificial air-conditioning (!), which is important because of frequent power-outs in the electrical mains

- interior and exterior spaces are closely interlinked and create opportunities for gardening

- there are many micro-environments with different atmospheres that support spaces for socialising for students and teachers

- native plant species are used and they are irrigated from rainwater storage.