1. Global Citizensfor sustainable development
VedikeEco Residential School
'a green place for children in
need to learn and grow'
2. 1: Vedike Eco School 1
Project Context 3
Project Partners 6
Project Scope 8
2: Design Process 10
Mallasandra Community
Engagement 10
Living Hope Children's
Home 12
Design Workshop 13
3: Site Analysis: 14
4: Design Principles: 18
Site Functional Diagrams 19
5: Masterplan: 21
Architectural Principles 22
Infrastructure 24
Landscape Spaces 25
6: Get Involved! 28
3. The Vedike Eco Residential School aims to set a benchmark for
the creation of a sustainable community while providing opportunities for
underprivileged children to go to school.
Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, is one of India’s fastest growing cities and major
economic centers. Recent decades have seen a high demand for low skilled workers
in Bangalore’s booming informal economy. This demand is primarily met by internal
migration, with workers and their families drawn to the city in search of opportunity
and a better livelihood. Unfortunately employment in Bangalore’s informal sector
often comes at the expense of stability. Families and children often have no option
but to live in temporary, insecure housing without access to sanitation, education and
at worst; protection from exploitation.
The Vedike Eco-School project aims to address a critical social need for education
and stable housing in a setting of ecological responsibility. Global Citizens for
Sustainable Development (GCSD) are working in conjunction with project partners
[co]design studio (Community Oriented Design, Australia) and Alas Para Todos (Wings
for Everyone, Spain) to deliver the vision which includes;
• A residence for up to 120 children
• A school with an eventual capacity of 400 students
• A central kitchen/dining/study facility
• Cow sheds and bio-intensive mini farming activities
• Active and passive play/recreation spaces
• Global Living and Learning Centre including conference and
accommodation facilities for project volunteers, staff and workers.
• An outdoor amphitheatre for community performances
• Private residences for project staff
Core principles underpinning the project include;
• Ecologically Responsible Design Thinking; Principles of ecological sustainability
inform the design, construction and ongoing operations of the community.
• A Self Sustaining Precinct; Principles of permaculture and passive design maximize
energy efficiency, while wherever possible energy requirements will be met by
renewable means. Solar and bio gas facilities will produce energy on site, while bio-
intensive farming activities will further decrease reliance on external sources.
• A Community Based Project; A collaborative approach to design an ongoing
operations will maintain an active involvement with the local community as the
project unfolds.
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4. •An International Cooperative; Through conference and accommodation facilities the
Global Living and Learning Centre will provide a setting for alternative
tourism/volunteering and the exchange of knowledge between cultures. Through
ongoing dialogue between international project partners in India, Australia, Spain, USA
and others, the project represents a platform for global citizenship.
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5. Project Context:
Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, is one of India’s
fastest growing cities and major economic centers.
Often referred to as India’s Silicon Valley, Bangalore’s
technology sector is booming across the city, with
each new development creating demand for low
skilled workers for construction, labor and other
ancillary positions.
Unfortunately employment in Bangalore’s informal
sector often comes at the expense of stability. Families
and children often have no option but to live in
temporary, insecure housing without adequate access
to sanitation, education and at worst; protection from
exploitation.
Migratory pressures:
In the drought prone regions of northeast Karnataka,
internal migration for work has become a routine
livelihood strategy. Droughts, land degradation and
declining agricultural productivity has created a
surplus of labor in these once prosperous regions,
forcing families to relocate away from their villages
towards urban areas in search of work.
It is estimated that every day 200 rural workers and
their families migrate to Bangalore in search of
employment. Limitations of caste and poor
education hamper opportunities, and migrants
typically find employment in low skilled roles in the informal economy.
Housing and shelter:
The inconsistent and transient nature of informal
work presents some significant challenges for
migrant families. Low incomes, seasonal
employment and lack of labor regulations and
official protection make securing permanent
accommodation very difficult. For a family earning
only 50-150 rupee a day formal housing is often not
an option. Unfortunately it is usually the children
who are impacted the most, with families residing in
'shanty' settlements without adequate access to
sanitation, health care, educational opportunities
and protection from exploitation.
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6. Currently there are over 700 slums in Bangalore,
with most of their inhabitants working in the
informal economy. Migrant families working in
the construction industry typically reside on the
construction site, building temporary
accommodation which serves as their home for
the duration of the construction project. As a
consequence it is not uncommon to see migrant
worker communities with up to 500 families
residing on large construction sites such as the
new technology parks in outer Bangalore. Once
the construction is complete, the families
relocate to the next construction site and once
again begin the process of establishing
temporary housing.
Child labor and exploitation
In the absence of stable housing, formal education or the
supervision and security provided by social networks in a village,
migrant children are vulnerable to exploitation. It is not uncommon
to see children working in construction or quarry sites. From as
young as six some children are coerced into working 12 hour days
in unsafe settings. Children are also at risk of being removed from
their families and sold to work in the city as domestic servants,
beggars or in the City’s brothels.
The exploitation of young employees in the form
of bonded labor, whereby workers are prohibited from leaving the
work site or communicating with their family is becoming
increasingly common. Young workers are cut off from their families
to prevent them from communicating their living conditions or the
extent of their exploitation. Reports have also surfaced of sexual
abuse against young female child laborers.
With the opportunities in Bangalore attracting new migrants every
day, these issues of child safety are likely to become more
widespread and significant.
Education
For many migrant families, educating their children is often considered a luxury which
they cannot afford: “We barely make enough to eat. There’s no way we can send our
kids to school” says Sita, a migrant worker and mother of four who has lived in a
‘shanty’ house along side one of Bangalore’s motorways for over five years.
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7. The location of most informal work on the outer urban fringe presents a further barrier
to migrant children’s education. In Bangalore, most construction sites are located on
the periphery, away from local schools and transport services, where parents aren’t
able to leave and pick up their children during work hours. The transient nature of
informal employment prevents children from completing full years or semesters at a
single school as families move frequently. On some of Bangalore’s larger construction
sites ‘tent schools’ have been introduced to help these children continue their
schooling. Whilst tents schools do make a positive contribution, the diverse levels of
education and lack of proficiency in Kannada can make it difficult for migrant
children to participate.
“In early 2009, people passing by Mayo Hall Junction on MG Road, would have
observed a little girl - eight or nine years old - waiting for the signal to turn red. She
would then bring out her hoops and do a set of acrobatics, contorting her slim small
frame. As the signal turned green she would skip back into the footpath. Cars and
buses zipped past, frightfully close to the frail little child. I stopped to chat with her.
Lakshmi is eight; she is from Bilaspur in Madhya Pradesh and speaks only Hindi. Her
parents are migrant construction labourers and have been in Bangalore for a couple
of months. They leave for work early morning and return to their tin shack home late in
the evening. Lakshmi walks 6 miles everyday to pass time at the Mayo Hall Crossing.
She has not been to school since coming to Bangalore. She did not go to school in
the previous city either"
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8. Project Partners:
Global Citizens for Sustainable Development (GCSD, India)
GSCD is a registered not-for-profit and non-governmental-organization based in
Bangalore, India and its mission is to engage and empower children, youth, men and
women to sustain communities, cultures and societies while promoting improvement in
their social, economic and environmental conditions through the notion of human
responsibilities. GCSD creates platform for children, youth, men and women motivated
to bring a positive change at a personal, social and ecological level in their individual
environment and their respective society for the progress of humanity. GCSD creates a
platform for youth, children and adults for creativity, innovation and compassion to
transform their society. GCSD believes that every individual has a capacity to change
his/her attitude and behavior. Everyone has the possibility to contribute in their
individual capacity for creating a responsible, sustainable and united world. GCSD
through all its activities will foster moral and spiritual values regardless of caste, color,
religion or gender and promote secular human values.
Global Citizens for Sustainable Development's work focuses on the following areas of
social intervention:
Youth Leadership and Youth Empowerment: Capacity building for children and youth
from around the world, credit and volunteer programs for students from Peking
University (China), J.F. Oberlin University in Japan, University at Albany (US), St. Joseph’s
College (India) and many others.
Peace and Culture: Building civil society capacities towards inter-community harmony.
For example, working with peace committees in communally sensitive areas;
promoting interreligious understanding and harmony; organizing cultural festivals
around the theme of peaceful coexistence with society and nature; providing
platform for people from around the world to meet and learn from each other and so
on.
Ecology: Advocacy on environmental issues in the country and the region, dealing
particularly with Climate Change. Some examples include the looming global water
crisis, restoration of water-bodies, roof top rain water harvesting, and water
conservation. Organic farming and vermi-composting are part of this advocacy, as
well as promoting organic farming among local farmers.
Development: Working with farmers, women and youth on issues of ecological
agriculture, health, hygiene, economic and food security; responding to the crisis of
HIV-AIDS; and so on.
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9. International Workshops and Networking on Civil Society Issues: GCSD has organized
workshops, conferences, forums, film festivals in different parts of the world on themes
such as, Cross-Cultural dialogue for Peace, Sustainable Development, Education,
Housing, Climate Change, Water, Youth and World Governance, etc. GCSD also helps
to network organizations through the World Youth Water Alliance, Asian Youth Climate
Network, and Asian Citizens Alliance.
Alas Paras Todos (Wings for Everyone, Spain)
Alas Paras Todos is a non-profit organization, founded in March 2007 in Barcelona,
Spain. The founding purpose is to promote all kinds of socially responsible activities
related to the assistance, promotion and and inclusion of children. Specifically
children living in poverty, with disabilities, special needs, or who are otherwise at risk.
Mission:
APT’s mission is to contribute to the sustainable development in the communities most
in need, with a specific focus on promoting access to education.
APT believes that one of the best ways to help children in need is to provide support
and access to education, giving them wings to fly. Children in countries in need are
the focus, as they will be the leaders of tomorrow. APT wants to fight for equal
opportunities, because everyone is entitled to fly, to grow in a happy, stimulating
environment where everyone’s rights are fully recognized.
Values:
To achieve our goal, APT commits to work and act with full transparency,
accountability, consistency and wisdom, always seeking social justice and defending
equality.
APT are a financial partner of the project’s first phase.
Community Oriented Design Studio ([co]design studio, Australia)
[co]design studio is an Australian non-profit design practice offering whole project
solutions for community development projects.
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10. [co]design studio are a multi-disciplinary studio of architects, landscape architects,
planners, engineers, designers, and associated professionals specializing in projects that
promote sustainable livelihoods and improve spaces.
[co]design creates a platform for community organizations to access to design
thinking, and for designers to engage in community development projects through
workshops, design competitions and on the ground projects.
[co]design studio are assisting GSCD with the design and construction of the project.
Project Scope:
The site owned by GCSD has two parts, separated by a narrow unpaved road. The
Eastern portion (Site 1) is the focus of this report, and will consist of the Vedike Eco
School. The Western portion (Site 2) will be developed by GCSD at a later stage to
house a Global Living and Learning Centre.
Project Staging Schedule:
The masterplan considers the first three stages of the project, accommodation for 120
children and the construction of a school, initially for Standards 1-4 followed by
Standards 1-5. The final stage of the project will see the development of the Global
Living and Learning Centre on the western side of the site.
Phase 1- construction mid 2011
• A children’s home able to accommodate up to 120 students
• Kitchen/Dining/Study Area
• Water infrastructure including septic tanks, water treatment ponds
• Cow shed and agricultural spaces
• Kitchen garden
Phase 2- construction late 2011
• Stage 1 of the School, catering for children from first to fourth standard
• School administration building, library, computer labs
• School courtyard, amphitheatre and play spaces
• Private residences for project staff
Phase 3- construction early 2012
• Stage 2 of the School, catering for children from fifth to tenth standard
Phase 4- construction post 2012
• Global Living and Learning Centre
• Conference Facilities
• Amphitheatre/performance space
• Agricultural spaces
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11. Beneficiaries:s
The first group of residential students will be 5-6 year olds; the
school will grow with them as they get older. Initially children will live
on site and attend the local public school. GCSD’s first priority is
migrant workers’ children, second priority is under privileged
children and children of single parents within a 5km radius.
GCSD will evaluate the
success of the program and
may change the intake of
students in the future. There
will be 40 children in each grade and the school
will eventually run from kindergarten to 10th
standard. School stages are standard 1-4, 5-7, 8-
10, 11-12. GCSD plan to have a corpus fund to
support students to go to year 11-12 and
university afterwards, or students may choose do
vocational training when they finish 10th
standard. The curriculum will be the Kannada
state education board standard, which is
necessary for certification.
The education system offers flexibility for private schools to run extra activities; GCSD
will focus on environmental education. Although children will be used to sleeping on
the floor, GCSD prefer students to sleep in bunk beds away from snakes and rats.
Children spend a lot of time together, and would most likely prefer to study in groups
outdoors. If children become seriously ill, they will be sent to stay with their parents. It
would be unusual to have a dedicated sick room.
Parents will be able to visit
their children on Sundays but
will not stay overnight. GCSD
also plan to run skills
workshops with parents. They
will use public transport to the
village bus stop and may
have to walk 3 km from the
main road. Experience at the
Living Hope Children’s Home
in Gauribidanur suggests that
most parents visit their children
regularly. It may be possible
for GCSD to sponsor parents
to visit if they cannot afford
the bus fare, but there are
concerns of parents
becoming dependent on
GCSD.
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12. Design Process:
In August 2010, a multi-disciplinary team from [co]design studio including architects,
landscape architects, planners, designers and a social geographer traveled to
Bangalore to work in conjunction with GCSD and APT to develop a masterplan of the
Vedike Eco School.
The team had the opportunity to engage with Bangalore Based design professionals
and environmental specialists, not for profit organizations, staff and students of local
schools and the residents of a rural village. Research was collated and four masterplan
options produced. Following feedback from project partners and reflections on the
strengths and shortcomings of each option, designs were refined into a single
masterplan vision.
As part of the intention for Vedike to be a platform for cross cultural dialogue, the
international project partners will have ongoing inputs as the vision becomes a reality.
Major elements in the design process are as follows;
Mallasandra Village Community Engagement
A focus of the team was a design relevant and responsive to the needs of the
intended beneficiaries. Engaging with children and with the local community is thus of
ongoing importance throughout the life of the project.
During the design phase, residents of a local village were engaged in informal
conversations. Respondents were asked to give their opinions on;
• The role of their dwelling;
• The role of their village;
• Their perceptions of security;
• Aspirations for themselves and their community; and what affect the place they live
might have on these aspirations.
Major themes arising in the discussions were;
• Weather; a common concern among respondents was their dwelling’s ability to
withstand weather events. Several who lived in thatch or mud brick dwellings had
experienced structural failure of their homes during severe weather.
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13. • Space; in some cases respondents had up to 5 people and 2 cows living in a
covered space of 15m2 or less. Occupants of a
dwelling often included several generations and
extended family members. Some respondents expressed
a desire for more housing and less crowded dwellings;
however a significant portion did not see crowding as
an issue. Some whose dwellings had failed were
concerned that their presence placed an undue
burden on friends and relatives.
• Security; Respondents had mixed perceptions of their
security. Some expressed concern over strangers
entering the village and the destruction of property, some reported they were
unconcerned. When presented with the concept of living in a walled village feelings
were mixed. Some were supportive as they felt it would keep out unwanted strangers
and increase their safety. The majority were not supportive as they felt it would restrict
their freedom of movement and the movement of their livestock. One respondent
reported they had no preference either way.
• Recreation; when asked how they spend their
leisure time, men, women and children were found to
have different spatial needs. Shop fronts functioned
as informal meeting places for adult men, whilst
socializing was centered around the (Banyan) tree at
the entry to the village. Adult women reported mainly
socializing within private dwellings. Older children
expressed a preference for more open public spaces
for games such as cricket and kapati. A common
theme among all respondents was the importance of
the People Tree as the location for festivals and
formal village gatherings.
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14. Living Hope Children’s School
Living Hope Children’s School in the area of Gauribidanur, Bangalore, cares for
children from families that are unable to afford an education for their children, such
as migrant workers and widows. [co]design’s project team visited the centre to play
games, sing songs and undertake a drawing exercise. Barriers that usually exist,
because of a lack of a common language, were easily overcome as the children let
down their guard, allowing their natural curiosity to emerge. The children were invited
to draw their homes, their families and their villages. Results were mixed however it
was interesting to note that the concept of a home to many girls was a single
detached dwelling. Other housing types were rarely shown.
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15. Design workshop:
At the conclusion of the design period, research was collated and a schedule of
spaces for the project was developed in collaboration with local architect Lester
Rozario (refer Chapter 2 Project Scope). Four master plan options were produced and
presented to project partners.
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16. Site Analysis:
Site context:
The site is located approximately 50km north
of Bangalore in a rural area dotted with
villages and rural-industrial developments.
Geography and topography:
The south east state of Karnataka on the
Mysore Plateau has average elevation of
920m. The Mysore Plateau is a region in the
larger Deccan Plateau.
Geology:
Bangalore has two unique topological terrains; North Bangalore taluk and South
Bangalore taluk. The North Bangalore taluk is a relatively level plateau and lies
between an average of 839 to 962 meters above sea level. The middle of the taluk
has a prominent ridge running NNE-SSW. The highest point in the region,
Doddabettahalli, (962m) is on this ridge. There are gentle slopes and valleys on either
side of this ridge. The low-lying area is marked by a series of water tanks varying in size
from a small pond to those of considerable extent, but all fairly shallow. The rock types
prevalent in the district belong to the Saugar, Charnokite and Peninsular Gneissic
Complex (PGC) groups. The PGC covers two-thirds of the area and includes granites,
gneissis and migmatites. The soils in Bangalore vary from red laterite to clayey soils.
Ground Water:
Ground water in the district occurs under water table conditions in the weathered
mantle of the granitic gneisses & in the joints, crevices and cracks of the basement
rock. Ground water is developed largely by means of open wells. Open wells as well
as bore wells can both yield between 70 to 90 meters of water per day.
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17. Climate:
The site has a seasonally dry tropical savannah climate with four seasons:
DRY SEASON - December-February-clear bright weather
SUMMER - March to May-high temperatures
SOUTHWEST MONSOON - June to September
RETREATING MONSOON/NORTHEAST MONSOONS - October and November
April is the hottest month with mean maximum temperatures of 33’C. January is the
coolest month with mean minimum temperatures of 14’C.
Rainfall:
Bangalore receives about 1300mm of rain annually, whilst the site is relatively dry with
approximately 200mm of rain a year. The wettest months are August, September and
October, in that order. Most of the rainfall occurs during the late afternoon/evening or
night and rain before noon is infrequent. The southwest monsoon (June to September)
receives 54% of the total average rainfall.
Wind:
July: south westerly winds
April and October: north easterly winds
Site features:
The site is framed in the west by low rise mountains running north-south. Another set of
foothills rise south of the site then gradually increase in height in the distance to the
east. The main highway is located along this axis and is approximately 500m from the
site. There are two villages close to the site; the larger one is located on this highway. A
smaller village is further north of the site, accessed on the minor road that runs through
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19. The site is divided into similarly sized land parcels by a narrow, unmade road that runs
north south through the site. Each parcel is approximately 1.1 hectares. The
surrounding land use is mainly open unfarmed land, used for cattle grazing, with the
exception of the neighboring seed research facility, which is surrounded by
vegetated crops including corn. Both sites have unremarkable vegetation, with the
exception of a scattering of existing trees appearing to be Coconut Palms and some
Cassia species. The site is generally flat. The road is elevated approximately 0.5m
above the site grade. There are a number of existing power poles located within the
site that have cables leading from the Pioneer property south of the site. An existing
bore well is located at the eastern end of the road that runs between the eastern
parcel of land and the Pioneer property. The bore well is approximately two meters
from the road and is clearly visible from the road. Soil on site appears to be a reddish
brown sandy loam that is common to the region.
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20. Design Principles:
Overarching Design Principles:
• To create a school as a focal point of a sustainable precinct for living and learning.
• To create a nurturing and healthy environment that children can feel secure in.
• To create a site with linkages to the wider community with opportunities for residents
of the surrounding villages to have an involvement in activities on site.
• To commit to self sustaining management and systems on site in the immediate and
long term.
• To create a relevant design conscious of the site’s context of the surrounding
landscape and existing natural processes.
Architectural principles:
• Cross ventilation to catch prevailing breezes from south-west and north-east.
• Shading from low-level east and west sun, high-level south sun.
• Thermal mass mediates diurnal (day/night) temperature variation, keeping the
building cooler during the day and warmer at night. Thermal mass works in conjunction
with appropriate shading.
• Material selection should consider environmental impact factors such as embodied
energy, renewable resources, durability, recyclability, and transportation.
• Construction methods and materials should be selected to build capacity and skills
in local people, and/or continue traditional techniques.
• Rainwater collection. Gutters should be designed to complement the building
aesthetic.
Landscape Design Principles:
• Use of ecological infrastructure such as bio-swales and uv-treatment ponds for the
treatment of greywater and blackwater to allow for re-use as irrigation. Bio-swale and
UV-treatment ponds are integrated within the agricultural landscape in order to keep
them separate from areas easily accessible by children.
• Tree planting provides shelter to occupied external spaces as well as providing
atmospheric cooling in areas that intersect prevailing breezes and facilitate the
distribution of cool clean air across the rest of the site.
• Footpaths, both formal and informal, provide clear and safe circulation throughout
the site as well as spatial hierarchy. Formalised pavement is located in significant areas
such as the main pedestrian access into the school.
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21. They identify major destinations, whereas informal paths of stepping stones, stabilised
gravel, or stabilised site soil delineate access to and from smaller scale common and
private gathering places.
• Vehicular access is restricted to a single paved road leading into the site between
the active play area and the agricultural fields. Avenue planting along the road is
restricted to canopy and palm tree species in order to retain clear and accessible
sight lines to and from the road. The tree plantings help to define the road and
reinforce the vista from the street into the site.
• Connections to the Global Living and Learning Centre (GLLC) are facilitated by an
extension of the avenue canopy and palm tree plantings across the public road and
into the GLLC site.
• Site security is provided by a combination of solid and transparent fencing structures.
Solid fencing made from granite or brick should be restricted to sensitive areas such as
around shower and toilet facilities. Transparent fencing made from wire infill panels and
stone or brick columns allow for wind flow and views through the site. Plant species
such as Bougainvillea combined with the wire panels act as a further deterrent for
potential trespassers. A manned gate provides a secure entry point for vehicles
entering the site. To prevent general visitors from entering the entire site car parking is
located close to the site boundary and adjacent to the manned security house.
Site Functional Diagram:
• Major axes are structured to
connect the school and
agricultural zone to the future
Global Learning and Living Centre.
• A secondary axis connects the
school through a series of external
spaces to the surrounding
agricultural landscape.
• The dining/function space acts
as the orientation node for
movement throughout the site.
• Design orientation and form
addresses climatic characteristics
of the region.
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22. Landscape Connectivity Diagram
• The major pedestrian movement
axis is shaped as a series of
courtyard spaces that move from
the public interface to the private.
• The secondary axes connecting
a series of landscape spaces,
changes from a formal school
space, to informal gathering and
play spaces to agricultural fields
that connect with the surrounding
landscape.
• Buffer zones are set up to protect
the school edge from the road
and give privacy to the manager
and visitors residence.
• Various external spaces connect
interiors of buildings to create
outdoor learning and gathering spaces.
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23. Masterplan:
1: School entrance
2: Classroom
3: Courtyard
4: Outdoor Learning/meeting place
5: Library
6: Administration
7: Computer Room
8: Security
9: Kitchen Garden
10: Sensory Garden
11: Active Play Area
12: Nature-based Play Area
13: Children's home
14: Kitchen
15: Dining Hall
16: Orchard
17: Residence
18: Private Parking
19: Agriculture
20: Cow Shed
21: Blackwater/UV treatment pond
22: Bio Swale
23: Warden's Residence
24: Water Tanks
25: Parking
Legend
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24. 1. The School is arranged around a circulation spine connected to the street. General
classrooms surround a courtyard to the north of the circulation spine. There is room to
build extra classrooms in future. Administration and specialized use areas line the south
of the spine with administration close to the street entrance. The library has outlook to
the courtyard and oval. The art room is associated with an experiential / sculpture
garden.
2. The Dining and Common Room terminates the circulation spine. The Kitchen
location relates to the greywater system.
3. The Children’s Home is arranged around a sunken courtyard with a circulation
verandah. The verandah roof overhangs to provide sheltered sitting space at edge of
courtyard, and the circulation space is wide enough to accommodate informal study
and play spaces. Two dorms for older male children have direct access to a
bathroom. Two dorms for older female children have direct access to a bathroom.
Younger children are in a separate wing close to the laundry, where they may wash. A
wing for wardens and storage is positioned close to the younger children who require
closer supervision. Location of bathrooms are related to the blackwater system, and
the location of laundry is associated with the greywater system.
4. Single residences for the GCSD director and Eco-school sponsors are located in an
orchard grove, orientated to catch prevailing breezes.
5. Ancillary structures: the guard’s hut and dog enclosure is located by the main
vehicular entrance. Car parking is located close to the entrance to minimize vehicle
Architectural Principles
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25. movement through the site. The biogas plant is located close to
the kitchen.
6. Circulation / access
7. Cross ventilation
8. Vegetation buffer
9. Indoor teaching space
Classrooms
Classrooms are arranged back to
back, each with it’s own outdoor
space, separated from the inside by a
full-width security screen that is open
during school hours. Bangalore’s
weather is generally suitable for
outdoor learning, and as the children
will come from rural areas, a flexible
indoor/outdoor space is likely to be a
comfortable space for them to learn.
There is good cross ventilation, and
vegetation is placed to act as an
acoustic buffer. To the back of each
classroom is a secure storage
cupboard, which helps acoustically
separate the classrooms.
Dining and Function Hall
This space has low height walls,
allowing views out in many directions.
Fly-screens with louvers may be used
to provide security and keep out
insects. The circular, domed space has
a sense of looking inwards, reinforcing
a focus on community and gathering,
and a sense of looking outwards, a
central point in the scheme from
which to view out.
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26. Infrastructure
Setting out the site infrastructure and planning for future development is an essential
component of the construction.
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27. Landscape Spaces:
Entry/Arrival:
Design Function: To create a formal pedestrian entry that is opens the site to the
street. The entry should be marked by a feature. A Banyan tree is suggested as the
focal point for the entry, this is a common feature in the vernacular of the region used
to mark significant spaces within communities.
Space Type: The entry should be paved with stone, concrete pavers or feature
paving. The tree should be planted in the center to create a formal entry. The
Banyan tree should be established in a 500mm high raised planter, to create a formal
entry and to allow the edge of the planter to be used as a seating wall.
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28. Design Function: Create a series of informal
meeting places throughout the site to
encourage informal gathering of people
and to create small focal points in the
landscape.
Space Type: Informal and human scale.
Meeting places may be clustered under
trees, or in open spaces and made using
rocks, logs, stones and benches.
Active Open Space:
Design Function: To create an open area in
proximity to the school and children’s home
suitable for playing cricket, sports and
active recreation. The open space also
creates contrast to the more formal
enclosed courtyards created by the
buildings, and allows for views and
ventilation through the site.
Space Type: Open grassed area with
scattered trees to the edges. The extent of
the grassed area should be bounded by a
threshold such as a row of trees, mounding
or a path. Adjacent to the road sightlines
should be retained to allow for clear views
to and from vehicles to prevent conflict
between pedestrians and vehicles.
Amphitheater:
Design Function: To create a shaded
outdoor assembly and play area that also
acts as a feature to connect the formal
school courtyard with informal landscape
and play areas.
Space Type: The amphitheater should
consist of a series of even, shallow terraces,
bounded with a step or hard edge at each
level change. The level changes should be
of a height that allows for comfortable
seating. The surface of the amphitheater
should be permeable such as grass or
gravel. Trees should be installed in formal
rows up the amphitheater terraces to
create a shade canopy, whilst maintaining
views out.
Meeting Spaces:
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29. Nature Based Play:
Design Function: To create informal play spaces that encourage imagination and play,
and to allow children to explore natural space and form.
Space Type: A series of small scale play spaces constructed from mounding, logs, sand,
recycled car tyres. The spaces should be multi-level and varied with different textures,
smells and colours. The surface treatment may include sand, gravel, grass or feature
planting such as a sensory garden.
Orchard:
Design Function: To create a dense treed canopy of fruit trees to create visual and
acoustic separation of the private residences from the children’s home. The trees also
allow for food production and control of microclimate.
Space Type: Trees should be planted in even rows of the same type to create a
consistent canopy. A low understorey with some grassed areas should be established
to allow for pedestrian movement through the trees.
Utility/Agriculture:
Design Function: The design allows for cows and agricultural spaces to work towards
a self-sustaining site. The aim of the design is to integrate the functional areas of the
landscape into the overall scheme, so as to merge the site with surrounds. Agricultural
areas are placed on the southern and eastern boundaries to allow a green buffer
between the road and buildings. Cow sheds are located with easy access to the
kitchen areas so that a biogas digester can be installed for sustainable energy.
Space Type: Agricultural areas should be installed using principles of permaculture,
and planting of food plants that are commonly grown in the region. The agricultural
areas ‘borrows’ the landscape of adjoining areas, so that the feel of the landscape is
of an integrated and continuous agricultural space.
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30. Conclusion:
The word 'Vedike' means 'Platform' in Kannada. Vedike Eco Residential School will
function as a platform in several ways; the nurturing environment will be a platform for
children to learn, grow and realize their potential. The GLLC will be a platform for cross
cultural dialogue, and for international cooperation for positive change in global issues
of social exclusion and environmental degradation. Vedike will also be a platform for
capacity building of the local community of the wider Thondebavi area. GCSD are
currently undertaking a participatory rural appraisal in the region surrounding the site,
and will facilitate the active involvement of the community as the project unfolds.
Get involved!
We invite you to partner with GCSD in the growth and development of this vision. By
becoming a project partner with GCSD you will be helping us break a cycle of poverty
and exclusion and provide some of Bangalore's neediest children with the chance for a
brighter future! Please contact us for more information;
Website: www.globalcitizens.org.in
GCSD Director: Anugraha John; ajohn316@globalcitizens.org.in, +91 9591542915
Vedike Project Leader: Marcus Tudehope; marcus@globalcitizens.org.in, +91 8971998503
Find Us On:
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