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This school in Aurangabad, India, is a key part of regenerating rural areas and creating a sense of community through education
Set among the typical sugarcane fields of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Vaulted School was designed by Craft Narrative and built with the help of local volunteers.
The brainchild of Rajshri Deshpande, founder of the Nabhangan Foundation, Vaulted School is a project in which every design choice centered on cultivating a passion for learning, sparking curiosity, and inspiring students from underprivileged backgrounds to dream big.
Replacing an old school that was no longer fit for purpose, the new building has 100 m2 of floorspace and can accommodate up to 30 pupils. It includes a classroom, with shelving for books and educational toys; a teacher’s office, designed for storing exam papers and academic journals; a multipurpose room, which doubles as a second classroom or dining room as needed; a separate toilet block; and a kitchen for preparing school lunches.
This innovative structure is strategically sited to take advantage of the local breeze and sun paths, and therefore create an optimal environment for educating and engaging students. Furthermore, the semi-circular volumes of the structure act as noise buffers against traffic noise from the adjacent road.
A pile foundation provides a stable base for the load-bearing brick walls and the vaulted sheet metal roof. The considerable height of the ceilings, with windows above the perimeter brick walls, improves lighting and ventilation inside. The building’s flexible architecture incorporates the option for potential future expansion vertically: an additional floor can be added by dismantling the vaulted roof temporarily for construction. The same can be assembled as a roof for the next level and the central gutter beam can unfold to extend the slab floor.
Tucked away on one side of the site, the project includes a gated outdoor play space. Steps under the roof’s overhang double as amphitheater-style seating, reflecting the project’s play-and-learn philosophy. This approach continues inside, with yellow resin floors painted with math equations and traditional games, while the walls themselves double as learning boards.
The project not only promotes academic learning but also personal growth and a sense of community, and therefore represents a key step towards rural regeneration and community empowerment. Vaulted School isn’t just an educational facility, but an ecosystem that stimulates students to achieve their goals.
>>> Discover also the Sami Frashëri High School in Tirana, Albania, designed by SOA Architecture
Location: Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India
Site Area: 305 sq. m
Built Area: 102 sq. m
Client: Nabhangan Foundation
Architect: Craft Narrative
Design Team: Bharat, Shubham, Ajay, Vijay & Yatindra
Structural Consultant: Sonal Nimbalkar
Photography by Ekansh Goel (Studio Recall), courtesy of Craft Narrative
Video by Sohaib Ilyas, courtesy of Craft Narrative
