Nalanda International School

Baroda, India

The design for this junior school draws from the first university in India, the original 'Nalanda' founded in the fifth century AD. The classrooms are arranged in clusters of four, around four courtyards, to give the children the sense of an indoor/outdoor space close to nature. A larger central courtyard serves as a gathering space for both parents and children. Brick is used not just decoratively but structurally: the cavity walls keep out the summer heat and the winter cold. The project also includes a pre-primary school (now complete) and a middle school and a senior school (planned for the future).

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture