Vijay Gupta Architects designed the Euro School Bannerghatta with an intentional honoring of nature in Bengaluru, India.

Framed by the lush Bannerghatta National Park as its backdrop, the 20,000 sq mt site of Euro School Bannerghatta creates an environment for children to move around freely, explore and interact with each other and their surroundings. The school employs strategies to provide outdoor learning opportunities where teaching takes place with and through nature, with the objective to foster respect for and curiosity towards the natural world. Hence, one of the most unique aspects of this project is how the structure accommodates nature, weaving in the built and the natural.

The consciousness towards natural motifs extends itself to the interiors, with the Fibonacci series becoming an iterative motif in interior design. For instance, the sequence is used in the divisions in the colourful panelling, adding a vibrant tone to the muted material palette of concrete and glass. Similarly, nature finds expression within the classrooms; hexagonal cells of beehives have been interpreted as classroom shelving, while fractals found in crystal formations inspire the clusters of triangular-framed lighting fixtures. On an aesthetic level, the abstraction of dandelion buds and tree foliage has been used to create overlays for glass partitions, further softening the transition between indoors and outdoors. This use of natural motifs in interior design helps students create a subliminal link to the systems of nature through design.

The design of Euro School Bannerghatta propagates sustainability by embedding it into the students’ consciousness, making it an implicit part of their lives. By conceiving of the built-in harmony with nature, it cultivates in children compassion for their surroundings from an early age, which may not otherwise happen within the technology-fuelled isolation of urban life.

Design: Vijay Gupta Architects
Design Team: Vijay Gupta, Saurabh Gupta, Akanksha Gupta
Photography: Andre Fanthome