Chennai-based KSM Architecture has completed the “Learning Community at Quest”, a place for children aged 8 to 16 years old that nurtures interest-based activities, self-directed learning, and an “unschooling” approach to education. Located close to the seafront in the Besant Nagar neighborhood of Chennai, India, the learning community’s colorful design comprises a collection of free-flowing interior volumes that provide a sense of space and visual connectivity. The building’s design places a clear focus on addressing Chennai’s warm climate.
On the learning community’s western side, a tree-lined front court with a small set of steps and an accessible pedestrian ramp leads to the entrance. Once inside, a central atrium-like volume opens up across the full height of the building. An amphitheater rises to the right, connecting the arrival space with the first-floor library, a seamless volume that overlooks a raised garden on the south — the garden can be reached via a slide from the library. “In section, the building opens up towards the south, which is the ambient wind direction in Chennai,” explains KSM Architecture. “The southern side of the site is raised in the form of a garden in order to harness the south breeze, while also taking advantage of a wind channel caused by the extended road beyond the site.”
KSM Architecture designed the learning community’s eastern and western walls as insulated cavity walls with a series of small, asymmetrical multicolored openings. These 400-millimeter-thick composite walls consist of a 300-millimeter-thick cavity wall with a 50-millimeter-thick XPS infill (extruded polystyrene foam insulation) as the inner layer; a bamboo shuttered GFRC facade panel with a 25-millimeter air cavity acts a self-shading skin. “This insulation system virtually cuts off all the heat that falls on these walls,” says KSM Architecture. The learning community’s southern and northern walls include full-height operable windows that make best use of the southerly breeze; these windows are shaded by vertical aluminum aerofoil-shaped louvers.
Five classrooms are stacked on either side of the central atrium on the first, second, and third floors. The atrium houses a brightly colored metal staircase that connects each of the levels. On the third floor, the staircase extends out from the building and a vibrant red stainless steel spiral stairway ascends to a rooftop cafeteria — this opens onto a landscaped south-facing terrace.
KSM Architecture designed the learning community without any clear demarcation of space, fitting with the building’s informal “unschooling” way of learning. “The warm glow of glare-free natural light creates a cheerful ambiance and the sense of fun is accentuated by the use of color, with a natural breeze wafting through the various levels — in our opinion, this provides the ideal platform for learning,” says the studio.
Site area: 540 square meters (5,813 square feet)
Built area: 760 square meters (8,181 square feet)
