The Meti Handmade School in Dinajpur, Bangladesh was designed by architect Anna Heringer using local materials like adobe, bamboo, and brick. The 275 sqm building won the Aga Khan Award in 2007 for being constructed by the local community using traditional techniques. The ground floor contains classrooms and "caves" for play areas. The upper floor is an open space made of bamboo for flexibility. The school provides education to local children using a sustainable, low-cost design.

1. AD -CASE STUDIES
METI HAND
MADE SCHOOL
C S MANIKRISHNA
R V College of Architecture

2. ARCHITECT : ANNA HERINGER
LOCATION : DINAJPUR,RUDRAPUR,
BANGLADESH
FOOT PRINT: 275 SQ.m
FLOOR AREA: 325 SQ.m
BUILDING TYPE : VERNACULAR
CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL :ADOBE,BAMBOO,BRICK
YEAR : 2007
WON THE AGA KHAN AWARD IN 2007
Made with local materials ,
by the local community
Handmade School is primarily
intended for children who live
in the countryside. It is a place
where they can play and
develop without leaving their
community
METI HANDMADE SCHOOL

3. SITE AND CONTEXT :

4. SITE PLAN :

5. Users : The main beneficiaries of this project are children
between the age of 6 and 10 from lower income families, mainly
farmers.
•Rudrapur’s vernacular earth and straw buildings are often poorly
constructed and unstable, rarely lasting more than 10 years.
As result, they’re being replaced by generic buildings made from
brick and concrete — expensive materials that require a lot of
energy to produce and transport.
• Change the misconception of local materials and generate
an increase in confidence in oneself and in the community.
•To engage the skills of local craftsmen, helping them refine
processes and learn new techniques that they could then use to
improve the general standard of rural housing.
Concept

6. 1.Classrooms (only on ground floor)
2.caves
3.Entrance hall
4.Training center (classrooms,
offices, residences for teachers)
UPPER FLOOR PLAN
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
SECTION A-A’

8. Average annual Temperature : 24.3 °C |75.8°F
Annual rainfall : 1302mm per year
•Bamboo is used extensively –as structural members
(fastened with jute ropes/string), or flattened for wall
panelling, or simply woven together to act as screens.
•Mild in Winter, Hot in Summer.The thick mud walls are
good for heat insulation and the thatched roofing does not
allow heat to penetrate the interior.
Location : Dinajpur, Rudrapur
Bangladesh
215m above sea level
Climate : Warm and Temperate
Average Temperature
Average Rainfall
Climate

9. The bamboo construction of the
upper floors of the
building allows an open and
active space filled with light
Earth-bottom construction provides
minimal openings that lead to an
interior-centered and contemplative
learning space
The upper floor and roof are built primarily from locally harvested bamboo frames and trusses that were designed, tested, and built on
site — lashed and pinned together on the ground and then moved into place using only human labor. The open and airy space is
wrapped in bamboo slats that bring in diffuse natural light while acting as a passive ventilation system.

10. •Ground floor with its thick earth walls,3 classrooms are
located each with their own access opening to an
organically shaped system of ‘caves’ to the rear of the
classroom.
•The soft interiors of theses spaces are for touching, for
nestling up against, for retreating into for exploration or
concentration, on one’s own or in a group.
Materiality

11. •The upper floor is by contrast light and open, the
openings in its bamboo walls offering sweeping views
across the surroundings, its large interior providing space
for movement.
•Light and shadows from the bamboo strips play across
the earth floor and contrast with the colourful materials of
the saris on the ceiling.

12. •The exterior surface of the earth walls remains visible
and the window jambs are rendered with a lime plaster.
•The framework construction of the green façade to the
rear is made of bamboo canes seated in footings made
of old well pipe and with split horizontal timbers as
latticework.
•The upper storey façades are clad with window frames
covered with bamboo strips and coupling elements hung
onto the columns of the frame construction.
•The upper floor and roof are built primarily from locally
harvested bamboo frames and trusses that were designed,
tested, and built on site — lashed and pinned together on the
ground and then moved into place using only human labor
Finishes and Fittings

13. PLACE USED FOR
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
CAVES USED BY
CHILDREN FOR PLAYING
AROUND,
AND FOR RECREATION.
CAVES ADJACENT TO THE
CLASSROOMS
FUNCTIONS

14. FOUNDATION
CLASSROOMS
CAVES
UPPER FLOOR
CROSS VENTILATION
HORIZONTAL
CIRCULATION
HORIZONTAL
CIRCULATION
VERTICAL
CIRCULATION
CIRCULATION PATTERN

15. An excavation is done
to 5O cm where they will
put the foundations
A brick base is
placed
Before laying on
ground attach it to layer
of polyethylene
After the drying
process, it is shaped
with a shovel
After shaping the soil, another
layer of soil is added and the
process is repeated.
CONSTRUCTION METHODS

16. A layer of soil
containing a
bamboo
reinforcemen
t is placed
Floor joists
with the
Another layer of
soil is placed,
which is
extended 5O cm
high, creating a
bench.
Vertical
bamboo for interlock
give
resistance beam and
and stability create an
unequal
structure

17. Metal roof supported by latticework
between bamboo beams
Bamboo rods are used as struts that
extend from floor to ceiling.
The top floor
_ is made of three layers with bamboo
covered with a layer of soil.
The second level floor
_ is made of three layers of bamboo
topped with a layer of soil.

18. https://www.arch-sharing.com/Blog/HANDEMADE-SCHOOL/HANDEMADE-SCHOOL
https://omrania.com/inspiration/school-made-hand-using-local-knowledge-mate
rials/
http://www.anna-heringer.com/projects/meti-school-bangladesh/
https://issuu.com/vinaykaushal014/docs/khamir_craft_resource_centre kutch
https://archeyes.com/sainte-marie-de-la-tourette-le-corbusier/
https://architecturalvisits.com/en/la-tourette-le-corbusier/
Bibliography