Designing for Learning & Community: Porous Architectural Campuses
We build schools and campuses that function as villages for learning, where architecture dissolves the boundaries between classrooms and the community.
The bamboo parasol at the TAPMI Centre, seen here from below, is supported by a slender column that branches out, emulating the form of a tree. This structure is not just a roof but a piece of the landscape itself, integrated with the surrounding greenery.
At the Srishti Manipal Institute, we designed the campus with non-hierarchical layers. This view through a portal captures the essence of the space, where students can interact across different levels, fostering a sense of community and shared journey.
The facade of the Manipal School of Architecture and Planning features a fluid, wave-like brick structure that rises from the ground. This element serves as both an entrance and an informal amphitheater, creating a democratic space that is open and inviting.
L'Atelier at Greenwood High School uses a simple palette of grey plaster punctuated by bold primary colors. The yellow underside of the staircase creates a vibrant, playful intervention, reflecting the creative energy of the art and music school within.
This video shows our process for designing the Sharada Residential School's academic block. We broke down the large building into smaller, community-focused clusters, each with its own identity, arranged around courtyards to encourage interaction and non-linear learning.
About Designing for Learning & Community
When we approach an educational project, we treat the site's topography as the primary design tool. Instead of leveling the ground, we work with the natural contours to create split-level academic blocks. This allows natural ventilation to sweep through courtyards while giving students spontaneous, non-hierarchical spaces to meet, pause, and interact, effectively turning the building into a social landscape.
Architecture for us is not about creating static monuments but fostering living environments. In our work for institutions like the Srishti Manipal Institute and the TAPMI Centre, we reject the traditional corridor-and-classroom model. Instead, we advocate for porous architecture—buildings that breathe, where thresholds are blurred, and interior spaces flow seamlessly into the landscape.
Our process is inherently non-linear. We begin with a study of the site's ecology, wind patterns, and sun paths, often using bamboo parasols, exposed brick, and lime plaster to regulate temperature and texture. At the Sharada Residential School, for example, we subdivided the massing into smaller, identity-driven clusters arranged around courtyards. This breaks down the scale of a large campus, making it feel intimate and communal rather than institutional.
We design for the 'in-between' moments. The staircases that double as seating, the landings that act as exhibition galleries, and the courtyards that serve as informal amphitheatres are where the real learning happens. By reviving traditional materials like red oxide flooring and combining them with contemporary structural coordination for cantilevered spans, we ensure that our campuses are not only structurally sound but culturally resonant. For us, every institutional master plan is an opportunity to contribute a piece of public infrastructure that remains accessible, democratic, and rooted in its specific Indian context.
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