EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION – RAJKUMARI RATNAVATI

GIRL’S SCHOOL

FOR THE CREDIT OF

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT (10 Marks)

CEL315 GREEN BUILDING TECHNOLOGY
Department of Civil Engineering
(Subject Code: CEL315)

Submitted to: Submitted By: Vikram Kumawat

Mr Rahul Kumar Bansiwal Name of Student: Vikram Kumawat
(ASSISTANT PROFESSOR) Branch: Electrical Engineering
University Roll No:21EUCEE112
College Roll No: 21/410

6th Semester 2023-24

Department of Civil Engineering

Rajasthan Technical University, Kota-324010(Rajasthan)
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School

Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School in Rajasthan is an architectural marvel.

This school is made of sandstone, which is located right in the middle of
a desert. The design tackles various elements of challenges like
temperatures rising up to 50 degrees Celsius Sandstorms and heatwaves.
The school is located just a six-minute drive away from Jaisalmer’s famous
Sam Dunes, which have taken shape in Kanoi village, with an aim to educate
girls and empower them. The school serves more than 400 girls, from
kindergarten to class 10. This helps the families that live below the poverty
line in the region where female literacy barely touches 36 percent.
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School

Case study of Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School

 Location: Jaisalmer, India
 Architects: Diana Kellogg Architects
 Year: 2021
 Client: CITTA Foundation
 Number of students: 400 (April 2020)
 School type: Independent school
The courtyard

Location
The school is based in the heart of the Thar Desert in the Indian state of
Rajasthan. A Newyork based firm, Diana Kellogg Architect designed this
sandstone marvel. The school is situated in the rural area of Jaisalmer, near
the village of Kanoi.

Effective design for the harsh climate

Space and Form
Rajkumari Ratnavati school has an ellipse structure. It blends seamlessly
into the planes of sand dunes in the region of Jaisalmer. The structure has
striking curved walls reminiscent of Rajasthan’s famous forts. The oval-
shaped building has a paved central courtyard. The newly-completed
structure is part of a larger complex called the GYAAN Center, which will
include an exhibition space called the Medha and the Women’s Cooperative
building, where local artisans will teach women traditional handcraft
techniques.

Roof level plan

Design of Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School
This fine structure also paves the way for great and efficient spaces for the
children to study and grow. Kellogg’s design shows the building
simultaneously blends and grows out of the natural landscape. It is much
like the Jaisalmer sandstone. For concepts, the architect observed the fluid
characteristics of dunes. She also incorporates many symbols of
womanhood. Similarly, the ellipse structure reduces the distance between
the different sections in the building. Also, having a courtyard for the
building was familiar to Indian culture. The circulation of the design denotes
children playing in circles or the women working in a community.

Inside the school, visitors are greeted by a sweeping staircase and a wall
decorated with diya’s, small stone flower medallions signifying each
classroom and the donors for the project. Winding corridors lead you to
classrooms, a computer center, and a sprawling terrace, all donned with
furniture made locally out of rosewood with classic Charpai woven seating. A
parapet wall is also featured as a reinvention of the Jallis, screen walls
traditionally used to hide women for privacy.

The building is a modern blend between minimalism and sleek design, unlike
the typical girls’ school image that is built up. It has been constructed with
locally cut sandstone.

AXO view of the school

Construction and Craftsmen ship
The school was constructed by local craftsmen. In that many were of the
girls’ fathers. Works were done with hand-carved Jaisalmer sandstone
sourced from the area. Moreover, to make the school aesthetically pleasing
it took the work of stone cut art by the local workers. in fact, the architect
describes the craftsman as magicians for their stonework. It reduces the
carbon footprint from transportation and logistics.

Seating niches in the wall

Sustainable Designing in Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s
School

Water Harvesting System

The design is efficient enough as it follows the local ancient water harvesting
techniques to maximize the rainwater and recycle gray water in the school.
Therefore, the courtyard in the complex can harvest 3.5 lakh liters of water
and store it in its belly.

Section and elevation drawings

Building Orientation
The building orientation maximizes the prevailing wind and keeps maximum
sunlight out. The design also inputs solar panels for the lighting and fans in
the building.

The school maintains a good temperature inside

Vernacular design process

The use of local materials to create the infrastructure helped reduce carbon
emissions. The skilled craftsman working on sandstone made the
construction process economic. The material protection from extreme heat
during the day, and warmth during evening hours. However, to allow enough
room for ventilation, drawings were revised to make the classrooms and
other offices bigger in size.
Local laborers took part in the construction process

Solar Canopy
The solar panels on the top level of the structure work act as a canopy. It
provides shade while simultaneously powering the building. The cooling
system uses geothermal energy during the night to cool the building during
the day. Moreover, a solar canopy on the roof with a metal framework
doubles as a jungle gym with seesaws, swings, and monkey bars for the
girls.

Solar energy supports teaching methods

Usage of Jaalis
Jaalis help in keeping the heat out and the elliptical shape of the building
also helps bring aspects of sustainability. Therefore, this creates a cooling
panel of airflow, in addition to passive solar cooling where temperatures
peak close to 120 degrees.

Jaali design allows light and wind

Material Palette for Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s
School
The local sandstone is the main component of construction. This provides
protection from extreme heat during the day, and warmth during evening
hours. The inner walls of the building have plastered with lime, which
insulates the building.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee designed uniforms for the students using the material
Ajrak. It is a form of block printing native to the region in the desert. Ajrakh
is distinctly Indian and has a powerful style. It sensitizes children to the
importance of local heritage. Above all, it helps to give them a better
understanding of our culture and helps in sustaining the crafts of the region.

The school is built with yellow sandstone

Challenges Faced
This innovative school is the first part of the GYAAN center, CITTA’s three-
phase project to provide a girl’s school, a women’s cooperative, and a
performance and art exhibition space. Rajasthan reportedly accounts for
some of the country’s worst female literacy rates at 53 percent. Therefore it
is even lower in its rural population at 32 percent. Given that 80 percent of
the state’s population is rural, the number of girls that go uneducated is
alarmingly high. Hence this project tackles the whole situation. The school
will provide a midday-meal program to ensure proper nutrition for the
students as well as lessen families’ financial burden.

The project funds are from a non-profit organization. Hence the

architect had to be very careful with the budget. “The hardest part was to
make every dollar spent on it worth the cause,” says Diana, who worked pro
bono on the project. She also adds that blending the varying cultural
aspects, and languages and being critical proves challenging too. Also taking
in the record of the harsh climate was quite challenging for the design to
come up with and be a hostage to the girls studying. The architect also
mentions that It took time to convince the royals, politicians, celebrities, and
stakeholders to be a part of the cause.

Moreover, to gain community support, the idea of tourism, culture,

craftsmanship, and other unique aspects of Jaisalmer. This is incorporating
measures in order to represent womanhood and their heritage. Besides
being an education center, the architect wanted the school to attract tourists
and serve as a global platform to host events for women empowerment and
global programmers like Ted talks