Community building for Perumbakkam school
Chennai-based Triple O Studio has designed the Perumbakkam School collaborating with the Bhoomika Trust, which is a primary government school. The region houses people who were displaced due to the tsunami in 2004 and now live far away from the coast and their original livelihoods. Because of this, the community has seen a steep rise in petty crime, theft and vandalism. The firm’s design proposal for the school treats architecture as a stool for urban activism with children at the centre. The building’s staggered layout creates multiple open pockets for conversation and play.
The entrance with a raised gallery becomes the school’s assembly area but also doubles as a community space for meetings, outdoor classes and cultural performances. Classrooms open towards each other to encourage curiosity shared learning and friendships. Jaalis are extensively used throughout the building using the porotherm brick system to create playful light patterns throughout the day.
Materials are selected and detailed to eliminate any threat of stealing, and the space becomes capable of building relationships, and a sense of ownership and belonging among students and the community at large. Thus, architecture fuels urban activity through design, learning, engagement and community building.
