Picture this — a school designed specifically to meet the needs of the visually impaired. And making it a success is a school in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, which has set the bar high for its inclusive architectural design.
With its unique construction and thoughtful design, the school enables children to rely on their other senses to navigate the educational space.
Adorned with white walls and airy courtyards, ‘The School for the Blind and Visually Impaired’ designed by SEALABS is dedicated to these special students.
“Each visually impaired child has different needs, and we wanted to create a space that accommodates them all,” said Anand Sonecha, architect at SELABS. Uttam India.
So, how does this school help your kids navigate? I’m glad you asked!
‘Inspiration found in many places’
Anand started his practice in 2015 and had never worked in school development before. “When school president Viren Joshi came to see me, I was very honored. I was excited to get to school and start the designing process,” he says.
Explaining the idea behind the school, he says, ‘There was a building but it was in a dilapidated state. It was a school for blind children.”
There were two buildings – one was a dormitory facility and the other was a school. “Each room had twelve to fifteen students sitting on bunk beds. As a result, it was decided to construct a new academic building and convert the existing structure completely into a dormitory. This will allow students to be redistributed on the ground and first floors, providing them with more comfortable and improved living spaces.
While Anand was excited about the project, he had no source of inspiration. To find that, he decided to spend time with children.
“I began to identify how students navigate different spaces and spaces, their preferences and gathering spaces. In addition, I befriended students within existing schools to better understand their daily routines, likes and dislikes. Similarly, I learned I got involved in discussions with the teachers to find ways to improve the environment,” he says.
Additionally, Anand began visiting schools for blind children across the country.
“Mumbai’s Victoria Memorial School for the Blind left a lasting impression on me because of its remarkable beauty, albeit an adaptively reused building. However, I found many good examples of schools designed specifically for disabled users. As a result, I Later volunteered at the Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts, the oldest school in the United States. Founded in 1829, it housed Helen Keller, Laura Bridgman and It boasts a rich history with luminaries like Anne Sullivan who all studied there,” he says.
He found wonderful mentors in America and was able to find the right direction for the project.
“When I went out looking for inspiration, I realized that this was not a place that could help me much. Visiting different schools was a big learning curve for me,” he says.
Using the five senses to navigate
The school is designed to navigate using the four senses: sight, hearing, touch and smell.
“Only 15% of people with blindness experience a complete loss of vision. Most blind people can perceive light or color, and people with different disabilities have varying degrees of usable vision,” he says.
With this in mind, Anand designed a school that uses color, smell and light to distinguish each class.
Touch:
“We used five different types of wall plasters and textures to identify spaces for the students. Additionally, for ease of navigation, we used different textures on the floor, including rough and smooth kota stone, which mark the entry points of the classroom,” he says.
Classrooms, corridors and courtyards in every area of the school are marked and written in Braille.
hearing:
For another navigation technique that uses hearing, Anand varies the volumes and heights of buildings by creating different echoes and sounds to help students identify places.
“For example, a school entrance features a wide and tall volume, while the opposite side has a shorter volume and is narrower. This contrast in width and height creates a distinct resonance compared to the entrance. Students, as part of their training, use different techniques to identify spaces. They also practice walking, talking and clapping,” he says.
Vision:
He used different colors to make navigation easier for students who can perceive color in light.
“Given that many low-vision students are studying in school, another aspect we had to consider was the use of contrasting colors and lighting to help students identify objects, furniture and spaces,” he says.
He adds, “For example, each classroom door is painted in a bright color, the entrance is in a different bright color and the toilet doors are painted in contrasting but vibrant colors. This approach ensures that students with low vision can easily identify and locate important elements such as switchboards.”
Smell:
In addition, to make the classrooms more distinct from each other, the architect decided to engage the sense of smell.
He says, “We have also planted aromatic plants at the entries, which can help students mark and identify the place. These elements serve as various clues incorporated into our design. Students, based on their comfort and understanding, use these signs to navigate the building. “
Inclusive, sustainable and a paradise for students
The school has five special classrooms and seven classrooms with individual courtyards.
“Furniture arrangement was also important, and the shape and size of the classroom evolved based on how the students sat. To ensure equal attention from the teacher, we designed a ‘C’-shaped seating arrangement where each student was close to the teacher,” he says.
Anand believed that children should also have the opportunity to learn outdoors, so he included courtyards.
“We also understand that learning doesn’t just happen inside the classroom but beyond its walls. Keeping this in mind, the appearance of the courtyard became important. Apart from their educational importance, there were practical reasons for including the courtyards,” he said.
“The region experiences a hot and dry climate, which can be challenging for students with low vision who are sensitive to direct light. To address this, we ensured that the courtyard provides filtered light to the classrooms,” he added.
Indirect lighting was an important concern as the architect aimed to provide a comfortable learning environment with minimal glare for students with low vision.
“We decided to bring in sunlight from the ceiling, not through the windows, to protect the visually impaired students from the glare of direct light,” he says.
A haven for its students, the school is also sustainable at its roots. “We decided to be very frugal with what we were using. We used only locally sourced materials like Kota stone and planted over 1,000 saplings of 37 different varieties,” he says.
Anand said the bushes were planted to attract butterflies and birds and to diversify and improve the natural environment.
A traditional rainwater harvesting technique known as Khambati Kuwa (percolation well) was implemented. The well, 10 feet in diameter and 30 feet deep, is designed to collect rainwater and recharge the ground. This well can absorb 45,000 to 60,000 liters of water in an hour.
Up and running since 2021, Anand says, looking back on his work, “As a professional, I approach all projects with equal intensity. However, the task of working on this project was unique. In our architectural education, we have never had questions about users to this extent. It opened my eyes to the fact that when designing any building, whether it’s a public structure or entire cities, we have to consider different groups of users, making sure no one is excluded.”
He adds, “The inclusivity lessons I learned from this experience have profoundly influenced my approach to new projects, where I try to incorporate valuable insights gained from the school project.”
(Editing by Padmashri Pandey)
(All image credits: SEALABS)