Druk School

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Druk White Lotus School, Shey, India

Architect: Arup Associates / Jonathan Rose

Built Area: 1240 m, Year 1992-2003Cost: US$ 424810Introduction

At the request of the local people, the creation of a new educational community designed to focuson Ladakhs particular needs was initiated in 1992 by the Drukpa Trust and the project was

brought on ground by the Arup Design team working in collaboration with the local craftsmenand teachers.The Master Plan, developed to take into account of the extreme climatic conditions.The region is also a highly seismic zone and new buildings have to be designed to resistearthquakes in order to provide full-serviced spaces, the designers have been also confronted by

local perceptions of appropriateness and feasibility and the different cultural backgrounds of theend users.For example, Ladakh is a place where buildings often do not have running water or reliable powersupplies and yet the Drukpa Trust and the designers sought to create a full range of new-up-to-date facilities for the school. In other areas, the design team have learnt from the local people, forinstance in relation to the traditional construction of a mud roof.The Master Plan takes advantage of the site, with a complex of buildings that are planned

primarily on one level, oriented along a north-south axis and facing south and south-east.The plan of the educational buildings is organized around a series of courtyards into the figure ofa square. The educational buildings are oriented south south-east so as to favour the morning sun.The Residential Courtyards and Dining Hall are organized along a tree lined pedestrian spine

facing the south.

The design of this educational community for Ladakhi people uses local materials andtraditional techniques (such as a mud roof), combined with appropriate technology. Thenursery and infants school consists of two parallel buildings framing an open courtyard.Residential accommodation is placed along a separate north-south spine. All the buildingshave glazed south-facing facades to gather the suns energy. The other sides are enclosed

by granite walls that provide thermal mass and protection against wind in the winter.Timber portal frames resist earthquake loading. Solar ventilated latrines and a water distributionsystem help to combat drought in this arid region.

The design of this educational community for Ladakhi people uses local materials and traditionaltechniques (such as a mud roof), combined with appropriate technology. The nursery and infantsschool consists of two parallel buildings framing an open courtyard. Residential accommodationis placed along a separate north-south spine.All the buildings have glazed south-facing facades to gather the suns energy. The other sides areenclosed by granite walls that provide thermal mass and protection against wind in the winter.Timber portal frames resist earthquake loading. Solar ventilated latrines and a water-distributionsystem help to combat drought in this arid region.


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Mater Plan model

The project has been conceived as a contemporary model for approximate and sustainabledevelopment in harmony with local culture. The master plan takes advantage of the site, with acomplex of buildings based around courtyards that are planned primarily on one level, orientedalong a north-south axis for the residential spineand facing south south-east for the

Nursery and Infants School

The Nursery and Infants School consists of two parallel buildings that frame an open courtyard.Each of these buildings is enclosed on three sides by a stone wall which protects it from northerlywinds during the long cold winters and provides thermal mass. In contrast, the south-east facadesare extensively glazed to provide direct passive solar energy for heating and natural light.The Nursery and Infants School has been designed and built as well as a Junior School, which isdivided from the first courtyard by an Entrance Administrative courtyard. The Infants School and


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first Residential Courtyard have now established an architectural language for the entire masterplan. The Nursery and Infants School consists of a series of five classrooms and staff officeswhich are grouped within two parallel buildings that frame an open courtyard. Each of these

buildings is enclosed on three sides by a stone wall which protects it from northerly winds duringthe long cold winters. In contrast, the south-east facades are extensively glazed to provide direct

passive solar energy for heating and good levels of natural light.In addition, the roof of the northern-most building has been designed to bring in additional light.The courtyard has been planned for use as an outdoor teaching area. Made up of a series of spacesdefined by low walls where children can sit shaded by newly planted trees, it has been designed toenable each of the classrooms to extend outdoors.Toilet accommodation is planned in a series of discrete buildings which are located on the

pathway which runs around the perimeter of the education complex.

The building design uses local materials and traditional building technologies such as mud roof,combined with appropriate technology. A timber portal frame has been designed to resist

earthquake loading.

The Nursery and Infants School Construction of the traditional mud roof

Plan and Section of Nursery and Infants School


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Nursery school classroom with rooflight Infants classroom

Sunlit Infants classroom

View of external courtyard

Residential Complex


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The residence develops and modifies the themes explored with the Nursery and Infants School.

A series of rooms have been planned in pairs of parallel buildings arranged around a landscape

courtyard located along either side of the main pedestrian path to the school. Entered from the

courtyard, the individual buildings step down the slightly sloping site.

Each residential building is planned to accommodate rooms for 8 children each, staff facilities, alarge day living /activity room and a shower room. The rooms are linked by corridors located on

the north side of the buildings lit by small windows inset within the stone walls. These walls are

formed from braced timber frames that provide lateral stability and carry vertical loads.

As there are relatively small spans in these buildings it was possible to use smaller section

timbers. Each courtyard pair of residences provides an external play areas and garden with an

associated latrine and solar water heater. The buildings are scaled to create a strong sense of

identity for each house block.

The residential buildings are organised around a courtyard with parallel buildings facing south,

each with a daytime space for the boarding pupils. The bedrooms and wash room make use of

trombe walls for passive solar heating that ensures that the rooms are constantly kept at comfort

conditions for the young occupants. Good daylight and ventilation is also provided to all rooms.

View of residential complex View of residential faade and children

View within residential courtyard View of residential living room


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Plan and section of residential complex

Construction of trombe wall Internal view View of trombe wall and planting bed

Trombe wall with open windows


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Detailed section through southern block of Nursery and Infants Courtyard

Masterplan of the school indicating Nursery and Infants courtyard in yellow


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Dry latrines beside infants and nursery school Section through latrine

Solar Ventilated Latrines

A series of discrete latrines are located on the pathway running around the perimeter of the

education complex and beside each residential courtyard. Designed and tested using

computational fluid dynamics the latrines are built of stone, with a black angled solar chimney

that is the fundamental element in the design and can be identifiable sign for the project.


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Solar ventilated latrines beside residences

HIMURJA OFFICE BUILDING

Located in Shimla at an altitude of about 2000m above mean sea level in the middle Himalayas,

the Himurja building has been designed and built in a climatic zone that is cold and cloudy albeit

with a fair number of sunny days. The sharply sloping site provides a classical situation in a hilly

urban context for a building within a large commercial complex that thus sits against he mountain

for the lower three floors and inevitably has a deep plan.

Significance of the Project

The project has been conceived as a model for appropriate and sustainable development. The

project seeks to nurture the local skills of craftsmen; keeping alive those technologies such as themud roof that rae appropriate to the region as well as the modern day. Appropriate new

technologies have been introduced, such as the timber frame to resist the earthquake. The large

span timber frame creates large teaching spaces with excellent daylight characteristics which

facilitate modern teaching and learning methods which is an innovation to the region. The scheme

seeks to be a teaching tool to the students and Ladakhis, demonstrating a respect for local

tradition while providing a high level of comfort and safety.

The project is having an impact in the wider region by inspiring solutions, for instance the design

for Ruth Pulaski School in Mongolia. The project provides a series of integrated solutions that

can be readily adopted for local buildings in Ladakh providing better comfort conditions than the

ubiquitous mud brick construction.

The service strategy is a key element to the design which has an impact on the childrens health

and well being as well as providing an awareness of health issues in the community. Water is a

limited resource and its conservation is a major influence in shaping development in this region.

The water cycle of the site relies on a solar powered pump which delivers potable ground water

by gravity-feed to a site that would otherwise be a desert.


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Materials, Structure and Construction

Nursery and Infants school

The locally available traditional materials used are stone, mud bricks, timber and grass. The

granite stone used for the walls was actually found on the site and the mud for mortar, bricks and

roofing was excavated nearby. The timber used was poplar and willow trees which were provided

by nearby monastery plantations and local producers. The use of imported products like glass,

structural timber, cement and steel, has been minimized.

The building design aims to use local materials and traditional building techniques wherever

possible.

As traditional masonry and mud-brick walls alone cannot resist earthquake loading, hence,

timber frames were used. The timber portal frames provide the primary structure.

and techniques (such as a mud roof), combined with appropriate technology. The nursery and

infants school consists of two parallel buildings framing an open courtyard.


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Documents

Druk School