Biome Environmental Solutions designs Indian school to cater for various sensory needs

Fabric canopies, brick arcades and small alcoves help cater for a variety of sensory needs at the Sai Kirupa Special School in India, completed by local studio Biome Environmental Solutions.

Located in Tamil Nadu, the school operated by the Sai Kirupa charitable trust provides specialised education and vocational training to children and young adults with autism, Down's syndrome and other learning disabilities.

Bangalore-based Biome Environmental Solutions' design connects the spaces of the two-storey school with a variety of "thoughtful and functional" transition and circulation spaces, complete with small alcoves, circular and arched openings and coloured tiles for wayfinding.

"For their new campus in Tirupur, the school envisioned a centre focused on the holistic development of students, fostering independence and self-reliance," explained the studio.

"At every level, thoughtful and functional transition spaces are worked into the plan, in line with the sensory needs of the students," it added.

The two-storey Sai Kirupa Special School is split into two wings built from handmade adobe bricks. They sit on either side of a long and narrow courtyard, a play area and a performance space that is sheltered beneath suspended fabric sails.

These distinct zones of the school were partly informed by the need for a phased construction due to incremental donor funding, with each area able to open as soon as it was completed.

The wing to the north contains eight independent classrooms with dedicated toilets and changing spaces, while the southern wing houses larger therapy rooms and a dining hall.

Both of these wings are fronted by covered arcades with integrated benches and small, hidden alcoves, allowing for different levels of engagement with the central play space.

At the entrance to each different area, the floor has been marked with a circular motif depicting an origami swan. They are surrounded by glossy, coloured tiles, matched by tile work on the arcade, giving the route to each room a recognisable colour.

"The arcaded passages provide a transition from the open courtyard to the inside, while also becoming an edge with benches for indirect participation in the play activity."

On a foundation of local stones and boulders, the Sai Kirupa Special School was constructed from pale blocks of handmade adobe that have been left exposed throughout, topped with a mix of concrete and jack-arch ceilings.

"The exposed masonry of these blocks creates a muted, earthy palette that offers a soothing visual experience," said Biome Environmental Solutions.

"The rough texture of the walls, combined with the undulating jack-arch ceiling, helps reduce ambient noise, providing a calm, sensory-friendly environment for students."

Elsewhere in India, architecture studio Chybik + Kristof recently unveiled plans for a rammed-earth preschool in Mulbekh, which would feature an outdoor classroom sheltered by fabric canopies.

Other schools recently featured on Dezeen include a rammed-earth extension in France by NTSA Architectes and a temporary teaching space in Nairobi by Urko Sanchez Architects.

The photography is by Link Studio – Somusundaram C. 

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