An oasis of freedom. Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects
30/05/2022.
[Salkha] India
metalocus, JAVIER ARIAS
metalocus, JAVIER ARIAS
New York-based studio Diana Kellogg Architects was commissioned to design the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School will serve more than 400 girls below the poverty line, from kindergarten to class 10, residing in the mystical Thar Desert region of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, north of India.
With no other building in sight, the new school was built to educate and teach girls between the ages of five and sixteen, and Diana Kellogg Architects shaped the building into an oval as a nod to universal symbols of female strength and to echo the curvilinear shapes of local forts. The school was built by local craftsmen.
With no other building in sight, the new school was built to educate and teach girls between the ages of five and sixteen, and Diana Kellogg Architects shaped the building into an oval as a nod to universal symbols of female strength and to echo the curvilinear shapes of local forts. The school was built by local craftsmen.
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani.
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Ground floor plan. Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects.
Roof floor plan. Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects.
Axonometric. Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects.
Section. Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects.
Elevation. Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects.
Elevation. Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects.
The school, designed by Diana Kellogg Architects, was built by local artisans, often the girls' parents, using hand-cut local sandstone, which allows the new complex to blend into the natural environment. The closing walls of the ellipse reinterpret traditional privacy walls and house a curved series of solar panels, which power the fans and lighting. The building also incorporates ancient water harvesting techniques to maximize rainwater and recycle greywater.
The program includes classrooms, a computer centre and a large terrace. Lunch will be provided and there is also a bus that takes the girls to school from nearby towns. The building has been possible thanks to this new building and the collaboration between the CITTA foundation and Diana Kellogg Architects.
The program includes classrooms, a computer centre and a large terrace. Lunch will be provided and there is also a bus that takes the girls to school from nearby towns. The building has been possible thanks to this new building and the collaboration between the CITTA foundation and Diana Kellogg Architects.
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects. Photograph by Vinay Panjwani
Project description by Diana Kellogg Architects
The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School is an architectural marvel designed by Diana Kellogg of Diana Kellogg Architects and commissioned by CITTA, a non-profit organization that supports development in some of the most economically challenged, geographically remote or marginalized communities in the world.
The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School will serve more than 400 girls, from kindergarten to class 10, from below the poverty line residing in the mystic Thar Desert region of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, India -where female literacy barely touches 32%. The school will be the first in a complex of three buildings known as the GYAAN Center, which will also consist of The Medha - a performance and art exhibition space with a library and museum, and The Women’s Cooperative where local artisans will teach mothers and other women weaving and embroidery techniques from the region.
The GYAAN Center will empower and educate women, helping them establish economic independence for themselves, their families, and their communities. Since the GYAAN Center is designed by a woman for women, Kellogg looked at feminine symbols across cultures when starting the design process -- specifically symbols of strength, landing on a structure of three ovals to represent the power of femininity and infinity, as well as replicate the planes of the sand-dunes in the region of Jaisalmer.
The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School is made entirely out of local hand-carved Jaisalmer sandstone by local craftsmen. It was vital to Kellogg to include the community in a building made for the community. Using local material to create infrastructure helped reduce carbon emissions, and Kellogg chose to build a solar panel canopy on the roof as a cooling system where temperatures peak close to 49 C degrees (120 F degrees). Both the canopy and jalis keep the heat out and the elliptical shape of the structure also helps bring aspects of sustainability creating a cooling panel of airflow.
The GYAAN Center will equip young women with the tools to further their education and independence as well as raise awareness surrounding the issues faced by women in India on a global scale.
More information
Architects
Client
Dates
Opened.- 2021.
Location
In the mystic Thar Desert region of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, India.
Photography
Diana Kellogg Architects
Diana Kellogg Architects. New York City-based Diana Kellogg Architects is committed to sustainable design. Founded in 1992 by Diana Kellogg, the award-winning firm got its start in high-end residential but has evolved in its latter years into nonprofit and community work. A guiding core principle of the Company is its deference to an existing sense of place and history -- creating spaces that provide for communal interconnectivity. Kellogg’s steadfast belief is that thoughtful design through spatial arrangements versus complicated details and expensive materials is what impacts the lives of people the most. The overall emphasis of the firm is one of flexibility to programmatic requirements, site and historic concerns and innovative construction with a dedication to the high-quality design.
Diana Kellogg received a Master of Architecture from Columbia University and a BA from Williams College. Prior to establishing her own firm in 1992, Diana was associated with the firm of Gluckman Tang Architects and Selldorf Architects. Diana Kellogg Architects' work has been featured in various publications including The New York Times, Dwell, Architectural Digest and New York Magazine. Diana Kellogg Architects is a registered Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise and the firm has won multiple international design awards.
Diana Kellogg lives and works in New York City with her two children, Lukas and Clara, and her husband, Neil Burger, a filmmaker.
Diana Kellogg received a Master of Architecture from Columbia University and a BA from Williams College. Prior to establishing her own firm in 1992, Diana was associated with the firm of Gluckman Tang Architects and Selldorf Architects. Diana Kellogg Architects' work has been featured in various publications including The New York Times, Dwell, Architectural Digest and New York Magazine. Diana Kellogg Architects is a registered Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise and the firm has won multiple international design awards.
Diana Kellogg lives and works in New York City with her two children, Lukas and Clara, and her husband, Neil Burger, a filmmaker.
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