VIDYAKULA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Residential School near Bellur

When we first visited the site for the proposed international school, the view along the principal axis of the site to the distant hills influenced our design approach. The plan unfolded as a linear, open-to-sky central courtyard, flanked by classrooms along the long sides, framing a view to the hills from the reception area and the classroom corridors. The minimal, modernist form of the street-facing façade of the school derives from the double-heighted reception space.

Working with a very tight budget for construction, we chose a cost-effective material palette, that is also durable and low on maintenance. Avoiding ornamentation, the form almost entirely follows the function. Metal roofs and columns stand alongside plastered and painted wall surfaces. For the first phase of construction, the program includes 12 classrooms, a toilet block and the administration block.