It is 2020 and we have to get with the green program. Indian architecture studio Nudes, known for its unconventional innovative creations, has designed a school with an exterior wrapped in a forest-y cover and an infinity-shaped cycling track for its crown. Forest School was an idea that was born as an entry for a design competition and it is now a possibility to change Indian architecture to suit the environment.
Nudes was founded by Nuru Karim in 2007 with a mission to focus on sustainability and learning. The Forest School was designed for Pune which is a popular student city that has seen dramatic urban growth in the last decade. Due to this boom, the air pollution in Pune was four times higher than the safe standard set by the World Health Organisation. Nudes wanted to create a structure that served a purpose complemented by design – a healthy school environment, with opportunities for hands-on learning about the environment and climate change.
“The ‘green living skin’ serves to purify the air from pollutants and related challenges affecting the health of the inhabitants of a city,” says Karim. The plants are crucial in creating a healthy environment for breathing as they remove pollutants from the air through phytoremediation and the increased oxygen levels are beneficial too. Certain plants even absorb toxic chemicals via their leaves or roots which helps to maintain the health of the space and environment. Plants also help in keeping the building cool and also naturally reduces the city sounds.
The plan for the school is to build a conjoined pair of 32 meter high cylindrical towers with a lush green exterior cover and the infinity loop track on the top. There are six floors that will include a double-height auditorium at ground level with five floors of classrooms above it. To maintain the plants there is a service track accessible on each floor for professional horticulturists to access the plants anytime without disturbing classes. “A cycling track for a city starved for pedestrian walkways and cycling lanes,” says the team about the addition of the uniquely shaped track on top that also bridges the two towers. Additionally, a swimming pool and tennis courts will be built at the basement level. Green architecture, may you go to infinity and beyond!
Designer: Nudes
