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THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2008

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THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2008

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Exhibition of Kanhai paintings

An exhibition-cum-sale of Kanhai paintings depicting religious deities will be held at New Delhis Le Meridien Hotel from 7 to 9 March. Presented by People for Animals (PFA), artist Uma Kilachands collection is a visual depiction of deities draped in fabric and embellished with precious stones. Kilachand has been painting and embroidering since 1971. Her art has now extended to larger and more resplendent images, with the deities draped in vibrant silks and jamevars and adorned with crystals and pearls. The proceeds from the exhibition would be donated to PFA to support its animal welfare work across India. STAFF WRITER

PLANTERS CLUB

BENITA SEN

Thinking big in a small space

OPEN SCHOOLS
Many modern closed box schools are a result of rising real estate values and affluence. They reflect a lack of awareness about likely implications for the childs development. Ahmedabad-based architect Surya Kakani shows how thoughtful designs can compensate for the loss of nature and open space in cities. I read somewhere that the pipal tree symbolizes learning, because the constant shiver of its leaves exemplifies the spirit of lively enquiry, he says. The two schools featured here integrate the experience of open space into the daily life of children, teaching them more about nature through direct experience. BY HIMANSHU BURTE

Galaxy International School, Rajkot

CN Vidyalaya Balmandir, Ahmedabad

he Galaxy International School near Rajkot, in Gujarat, has 400 students and eight units. Each unit has a pair of classrooms arranged in facing rows flanking a long central open space. This is about a metre higher than the small courts partially enclosed by each classroom. The level difference provides optimal seclusion to each classroom while also maintaining a sense of connection with the larger campus.

he kindergarten block of the CN Vidyalaya Balmandir at Ahmedabad was completed in 1999. The building is on the large CN Vidyalaya campus and was designed in collaboration with architect Neelkanth Chhaya.

A green roof
The brief was to add four classrooms to the existing kindergarten. The easy thing would have been to place them on a clear patch of land near the old one. However, Kakani (in discussion with wife Jaai, a graphic designer and organic farmer, closely involved in the conceptual brainstorming on most design issues in the office) chose to deploy the new block around a spread of trees, a little away from the existing kindergarten. Further, he decided to spread the four rooms (each designed for 25-30 children) out to create a network of courtyards between them with a large one at the centre of the arrangement. For the children, the experience of the kindergarten is tied inextricably to that of the open courts, terraces and the trees.

Buildings and trees

Kakanis architecture defers to the trees and at the same time quietly assimilates vegetation and landscape into the basic palette of architecture. He believes that the design will only be complete when the trees reach full maturity; that is, when the banyan (deliberately planted in the amphitheatre) for instance, casts a parental net of shade over part of the central open space.

Reduce and recycle

The engagement with the natural environment extends beyond the visual and psychological in Kakanis work. The Rajkot school embodies another important sustainability principle, that of recycling. Most of the building materials here are recycled waste and the otherssuch as bambooare renewable. The walls are made of cementitious (a material capable of setting like cement) blocks made from post-earthquake rubble thrown outside the city. The blocks are made by incorporating gypsum (waste from the sanitaryware industry in nearby Than) and lime (waste from the Tatas salt works at Mithapur) along with a little bit of cement into the mass of rubble in each mould. The trusses for the roof are made from steel pipes brought from the ship-breaking works at Alang, and the roofing itself incorporates renewable matting of date-palm leaves on the underside and thatch above with a synthetic waterproofing sheet sandwiched in between.

Design elements
A clear-sighted and imaginative empathy for the child informs the design all through. We thought of the kindergar-

ten as a home away from home along with all the fun, activity and play, says Kakani, so, for instance, we decided to attach a toilet to each classroom rather than make a central toilet block. Now the children do not need the teachers permission to go to the toilet since she has no anxiety about sending them out of the class. The kindergarten is approached from its older building by climbing a shallow mound, which also takes you almost up to the low roof of the corridors. The ease with which the ground becomes the roof, and the casual overhang of the tree branches, all in the course of a few fun steps, suggests the delicious possibility that ground and roof are not necessarily distinct places. The classrooms are themselves like deep verandas, being open on one side completely to their own court. Their windows are lowjust at the right height for the childrenwith the adults having to bend to look out. This fact, incidentally, also makes the building more child-friendly from outside too, giving the child something to look at (and through) even from outside at her own height. Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com

Seasons in the sun: (left) The kindergarten block of the CN Vidyalaya Balmandir in Ahmedabada series of open courtyards leading into each other; (below) children at play; (bottom) an open terrace.

Often, as you push your chair further to catch the last square foot of winter sun on the balcony, your eyes stray to the patch below. The small space is lit up by a single rose. A common red floribunda, the kind you would find virtually all over the country. It may not find a place of honour at the flower shows that dot our calendar this time of year. But holding court in its own little space, youre suddenly struck by its beauty. Thats what small spaces bring with them: the ability to hold up just one star which may otherwise be lost in a larger garden. For all of us who despair over the lack of space to convert into a garden, this is reason enough to celebrate our tiny balconies and handkerchief lawns. Of course, less space means you cannot have an expansive baroque or a Zen garden. Instead, you need to be careful with the plants you pick. So, if you are visiting a nursery, spend a few minutes before you set off, taking stock of what you have and what you lack. As you only have a small area to work with, dont give in to impulse buying. You also need to be careful with your plan. Topiaries in pots are in once again. These are woody plants that have been trained and trimmed to shape, sometimes fanciful but often, simply geometric. Plants such as wisteria, ficus and azalea lend themselves well to a topiary. Although some enthusiasts dont believe in sculpting their plants, topiaries add to the drama of a small space. Their long stems raise the attention a little higher and give you a focal point or simply, height. They can be used as a two-tiered garden, with the ground level of the tub planted with tumblers or very low herbs such as mint. Topiaries, of course, will not retain the shape for very long. Learning how to prune them once a month, or asking for professional help, may not be a bad idea. You can have a little of everything. If you love flowers, plan for something different each season. A couple of pots of chrysanthemum for November and December can give way to one rose in January and February, and so on, with something blooming through the year. Planning is essential if you want to utilize space prudently. One free-flowing bougainvillea can give both height and fluidity and flowers at least twice a year. You dont need to look at a shade card, but it helps to be a little careful with colours. Perfumed whites such as jasmine and gardenia in summers are an excellent idea. Garden furniture now comes in compact and even collapsible designs that you can simply stash away when not in use. It should be light. Or, you could use a broad ledge. Permanent planters in small spaces can be built with a broad rim that can be used as seating. In a small garden, investing in the best material and just what you want can be a little expensive, but it pays off because everything is under such intense and constant scrutiny. Design-wise, it is advisable to go for simplicity. Benita Sen writes on gardening every alternate Thursday. Send your feedback to businessoflife@livemint.com

Lessons for life

As with the temples, mosques and churches of olden times that educated people through stories written on stone and glass, the school performs an important educational function. It embodies in its physical fabric the very love of nature that it enables through the experience of dwelling in it. By practising what it preachesrespect and love for natureit also exemplifies another important value: integrity. Class apart: (clockwise from top) Galaxy International School, Rajkot. Lowered courts give privacy to the classroom cottages, while providing a connection with the campus; Kakani and Jaai; the raised pavilion of the multi-purpose assembly hall on axis with the central open space Photographs by Himanshu Burte