URBAN GURUKUL



Bangalore



​Type: Institutional

Client:

Status: Design

Project Team: Elakkiya, Shreya, Rutuja, Tarun & Varsha


This school project is proposed on a 2 acres’ land adjacent to Kalkere lake, Horamavu, Bangalore. The portion of the site is currently used for FMCG's stockyard & Timber workshop. The site surroundings with serene & natural greenery provided a vibrant setting for an activity focused K-12 school. The client believes school is a place where young minds are molded and taught to absorb new teachings both in and out of the classroom.


Here, we are looking to not just create a space for teaching these lessons, but to help imbibe important values in our future generations. Keeping this in mind, our initial concept is developed around the idea of providing an experience of Indian culture through key focus points. India, also known as “Sa Prathama Sanskrati Vishvavara”- the first and the supreme culture in the world is blessed with a rich cultural heritage. Our culture’s significance lies in its ability to shape one’s personality, evolution and identity.



CONCEPT



Concepts of value based education, applied knowledge, good inter-personal relations and home culture inculcation are the key facets of Indian culture. These facets include social etiquettes, food habits, family values, visual arts and performance arts. Each of these concepts contributes in shaping a responsible, culturally active young mind. Additionally, it also leads to the transmission of this invaluable wealth of knowledge from one generation to another.



THE DESIGN



The proposed design intends to bring the facets of Indian culture and the education system together. The concepts of Indian culture deeply influence the design decisions of the building. The form of the building is derived through contextual massing. This is followed by giving an organic form to the kindergarten with spill out spaces on the periphery of the building. The levels of the school building are symbolic of the phases of a student’s life.