Excerpt: Sai Kirupa Special School by Biome Environmental Solutions is designed as a flexible, sensory-friendly space that fosters independence and learning for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Organized around a central courtyard, it features thoughtfully arranged classrooms, therapy spaces, and residential areas. Natural materials and sensory-responsive elements create a calm and engaging environment tailored to its users’ needs.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] Sai Kirupa Special School provides specialized education and vocational training to children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other learning disabilities. For their new campus in Tirupur, the school envisioned a center focused on the holistic development of students, fostering independence and self-reliance. The design of the campus reflects a thoughtful response to the diverse needs of its users, creating an environment that nurtures growth. Since the school operates under a charitable trust, donor funding plays a key role in realizing the project. As a result, the design needed to be flexible to allow for incremental, phased construction, contingent on the funding.
The building’s design across two floors creates distinct functional zones for various uses, while enabling the incremental construction and swift operationalization of each phase. The ground floor houses the day school and has been completed in three phases. The use of structural expansion joints facilitated these phases, with each section becoming functional as soon as it was completed. This phased approach enabled feedback from users, allowing the design to be fine-tuned based on real-life experience. The first floor, comprises residential dormitories and classrooms for students with lesser dependency needs. This has been undertaken as the next phase.
Responding to the climate, the building‘s layout and orientation is designed to maximize the north and south facades, where the direct solar heat gain is reduced through simple shading. The simple rectangular plan is further deployed to create a clear and navigable design for its users. Organized around a central open space, the building is laid out into north and south wings. A central bridge between the two wings creates two smaller courtyards and doubles up as a stage for the front courtyard, which serves as a small amphitheater, with easy visitor access. The larger rear courtyard provides outdoor play and therapy spaces for students.
Similarly, the administrative offices are located near the front, with direct access from the entrance. The more private student areas—classrooms, therapy rooms, and caretaker spaces—are positioned deeper within the building.
At every level, thoughtful and functional transition spaces are worked into the plan, in line with the sensory needs of the students. The arcaded passages provide a transition from the open courtyard to the inside, while also becoming an edge with benches for indirect participation in the play activity. The long passage breaks into smaller alcoves at the entrance of each classroom, creating pause points and providing strategic storage for bags, footwear etc.
The north wing contains self-sufficient units of eight classrooms each, designed to meet both academic and personal care needs. Since many students with ASD require toilet training, each classroom unit includes a dedicated toilet with adjoining spaces for changing and cleaning. Jaali walls in these areas ensure ample light and ventilation while maintaining privacy for children. The south wing houses larger therapy rooms and a dining hall, supporting students’ developmental needs.
Circulation paths throughout the building are enhanced with experiential design elements, including colored tile inserts that serve as visual cues, encouraging movement and motor skill development. These flooring inserts along the passage prompt students to hop and skip, enhancing both physical and cognitive growth. At the entrance of each classroom, vibrant Tangram-patterned pause points are paired with tiled inverted arch benches, creating memorable landmarks that aid navigation, through a distinct colour scheme.
In the harsh Tiruppur climate, both courtyards are covered with tensile fabric shade sails, to provide comfortable open spaces for play and gathering. The rear courtyard is designed to foster both structured and unstructured play, with sensory paths and landscape elements that stimulate students’ senses in a calm manner. A bridge across a small pond promotes balance through play, while areas for group and individual activities encourage flexible interaction. Traditional play equipment, such as swings and slides, complement the sensory features.
The choice of materials and structural details responds to the local soil conditions and seismic requirements. Stones and boulders found on-site are used for the foundation, while the gravelly soil is utilized to make handmade adobe blocks. The exposed masonry of these blocks creates a muted, earthy palette that offers a soothing visual experience. The rough texture of the walls, combined with the undulating jack arch ceiling, helps reduce ambient noise, providing a calm, sensory-friendly environment for students.
The site execution team’s attention to detail has been critical in incorporating many finer features envisioned in the design, to create a truly holistic experience in the school.
Drawings
Images
