Arts & Media Centre

We won a competition to design a new Arts and Media Centre at The Doon School, India’s premier all boys’ boarding school.

Integral to our concept is the journey of an artist, interpreted as a central spine that runs east- west along the entire length of the site; dissolving into the ample lung space of a landscaped garden.

The two buildings of the art school – one for art instruction primarily housing painting, ceramic, sculpture, and textile studios, and the other, with a lecture hall, film studio, and display galleries, are connected by an internal bridge.

The building is viewed from the outside as a composition of abstract sculptural forms of varying material and texture, emerging from a central spine. Internally, the axis is a double-height 6-meter wide gallery leading from both sides into studios, a lecture hall, a library and other functional requirements of the art department. The internal volumes are filled with a wonderful quality of north light via a series of skylights, while all studios open into courtyards allowing easy interaction with the outdoors and ample cross ventilation.

The building is contextual in terms of its orientation and materiality as it interfaces the iconic 100-year-old English Renaissance inspired main school building and the rest of the brick architecture of the campus. The materials – Exposed brick tiles juxtaposed with olive coloured corrugated metal sheets and glass is set against an omnipresent spine of Yellow slate. The natural topography and mature foliage of the site is also well preserved and integrated into the building design.

The building is climate sensitive, uses minimal energy load by responding positively to sun and wind directions, and has a TERI (The Energy and Resource Institute) Griha Green Rating.