The project entails an extension of ‘anganwadi’ or pre-primary school situated in a village near Gir forest, Gujarat. The village sarpanch/official funding the project wanted to create a play area for the school along with a multipurpose room which could behave as a classroom, reading space or lunch room.
The building is made using local limestone for structure and different jalis for partition and boundary walls. Panels are fabricated with locally woven infills, blackboards and abacus for children to play with. The roof is constructed using Guna clay tiles, a construction technique originating from Wardha, Nashik. This roof is a cheaper and a more sustainable alternative to a RCC slab. Guna tiles interlock with the support of a steel forma, which can be recycled at another site. The intent behind this roof, is to introduce a sustainable construction technique within the village which can be used for building in the future. The play area of the school is made using waste tyres, glass bottles and tin cans.
The construction is carried out as a 'hands-on' activity involving designers as executors along with local labour and people of the village. The intervention is envisioned as an environmentally sensitive prototype for the village to adopt environmental consciousness and building practices from. All materials and skills for construction were procured from within a 3km radius of the site. Using stones from around the site, materials like clay tiles made from the village potter, panels from the weavers and local fabricators and other recyclable waste. These practices generate livelihood for the locals, ensuring a larger eco-conscious building practice.
View project book on this link.
Photography credits: Sagar Vadher
Project facilitators & local support : Badalpara Gram Panchayat, Wala bapa, Shreepal bhai and team
Stone mason : Laxman bhai and team
Wardha roof : Anil bhai
Potter : Shanti bhai
