Revamped design for New Delhi school
Gurugram-based Design Plus Architects designed the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, which is an educational project on a 4.7-acre site near the India Gate Hexagon. The firm was to design and develop 10,000 sq. m. of built-up area to address the growing requirements. The school functions as an independent institution with different educational programs, and the variations are reflected in the previously-phased buildings. As per the new proposal, the design adds a common roof to the 10+2 school and recalibrates the vocational training facilities on campus. Innovative materials are used to reflect sustainability, well-being, on-site adaptability, and technology.
The brownfield project was to be designed and executed without hampering the current functionality of the campus while following a high safety criterion. All the previous blocks in the precinct had a defined function, standing and operating independently from each other. The firm was to add a new wing to the campus and physically link the new block with the two older buildings while creating additional floors to the existing buildings and having students migrate between the old and the new blocks.
The three existing buildings had their distinct architectural language. The Mehta Sadan, a curvilinear building has a simple double-loaded corridor plan and is embellished with motifs derived from traditional Indian architecture. The Hathi Sadan, with its open courtyard and exposed brickwork, was an architectural expression by architect Dr. Chhaya. The management institute (AICTE Block) paid homage to Dr. Chhaya’s proposal, with a covered courtyard plan and using brick tiles as a primary texture, and stood independently with its elevation detail in screens, tiling, and projections.
The complete 10+2 operations (classes, workshops, labs, administration) are rekindled and repositioned between Mehta Sadan + Hathi Sadan + New Block. Circulation paths are added, removed, or altered to accommodate the same.
The new wing is a staggered double corridor building with light and activity punctures at the junctions. Half of the ground floor is relieved of any built program and is planned for a covered activity space. Additional floors proposed for the Hathi Sadan and AICTE Block are designed as natural continuations to the existing blueprints.
Materials used include exposed brickwork, types and sizes of fenestrations, R.C.C jaali, R.C.C bands, and tiling. A jaali box is added to amalgamate the new wing to the additional floors of the existing blocks, both respecting the existing context and highlighting the firm’s individuality. Overhangs and jaalis ensure that the campus has a continued and recognizable language and only diffused light enters the premise. Additionally, brick cladding provides thermal insulation and comfortable indoor environments.
