The Newtown School / Abin Design Studio

Architects: Abin Design Studio
Area: 15000 m²
Year: 2015
Photographs: Ravi Kanade
Structural Consultant: SPA Consultants
Design Team: Abin Chaudhuri, Paromita Chatterjee, Poorvi Dugar Ajmera
Architect On Record: SBA Spectra Consultants
Façade, Interiors And Landscape Design And Architectural Intervention: Abin Design Studio
Interior Furniture Coordinator: Beautiful Living
Facade Fabricators and Consultants: Annex Design Pvt. Ltd
Signage Fabricator: Ins & Out
City: Kolkata
Country: India

The Newtown School in Kolkata, designed by Abin Design Studio, involved creating a distinct façade for two academic blocks. The design introduced a screen inspired by symbols and alphabets, unifying the buildings visually with 488 FRP panels. A simpler design approach was applied to a third service block to maintain cohesion. Internal courtyards were enhanced with structural slab projections and vibrant colors, though later covered with polycarbonate sheets for maintenance reasons. The interiors feature bright, engaging designs for junior students, a spacious library with a unique ceiling, and a dynamic cafeteria. Landscaping was integrated into the learning experience with features like fruit trees and solar-powered lights.

This school façade project was brought to Abin Design Studio while construction of the two academic blocks was already underway. The blocks were fairly standard, with six floors of classrooms, labs, and other facilities arranged around central courtyards. The design team was tasked with creating a cohesive school design within these existing parameters. They developed a design program that addressed circulation, movement, ventilation, classrooms, and other key considerations.

Given the school’s location in Kolkata’s Newtown Area and its simple surroundings, it was essential for the design to make an impact and establish a distinct identity. The locality is planned on a radial grid, with the school site curving along the longer edges. Approaching the site along the inner curve, the blocks are positioned at a slight angle facing each other, separated by an active play area. The school also features a swimming pool on its 2-acre plot, occupying approximately 160,000 square feet of floor space.

The first priority was to establish a distinct identity for the school. The design team created a screen that wraps around the buildings, visually unifying them. The initial plan aimed to merge the central courtyards with the play area, creating a seamless connection between the junior and senior schools. However, due to program constraints, this ground-level connection wasn’t feasible. Despite this, the screen’s strong design ensured it became a unifying element across the buildings.

The design of the screen was inspired by graphical representations of symbols, alphabets, and numbers. Younger children recognize simple lines as letters, and as they grow, these forms take on more abstract meanings, like alpha, gamma, and pi. These familiar shapes and symbols were used to create a custom stencil screen that wraps around the otherwise plain building. The facade not only provides shade for the classrooms against the harsh sun but also gives the school a distinct identity.

A total of 488 Fibre-Reinforced Plastic (FRP) panels, each measuring 3.2 x 3.2 meters, were used to envelop the two academic blocks. Thirteen different panel designs, featuring a mix of small and large alphabets, numbers, and symbols, were arranged in various orientations to create a randomized effect on the façade.

Structural slabs were extended beyond the building’s surface to allow the panels to fit precisely on all sides of the symmetrical cuboids. This design also facilitated easier servicing of the panels from the back and improved the light quality inside the building.

An in-house small-scale study model was created to evaluate and finalize the treatment of the panels, as well as the walls and windows behind the screen.

A mild steel framework was designed in a grid pattern on the projected slabs to align with the FRP panels. Steel Z-profiles embedded into the FRP panels were developed as a fixing detail, allowing the 70kg panels to be securely attached to the mild steel support structure.

The grey walls and windows provide a contrasting backdrop that highlights the white FRP screen. From the initial module sample and fixing detail to manufacturing, shipping, installation, painting, and cleaning, the entire façade system was completed on-site in 4 months. The result achieved the desired dramatic expression and gave the school an unmistakable identity.

After carefully designing the two main structures, attention was turned to a small service block on the far side of the site. This block, if not addressed properly, could have been an eyesore or overwhelming if over-designed. To avoid this, it was treated similarly with projected slabs and a mild steel framework but finished with simple vertical aluminum fins. The contrast was eliminated by using the same shade of grey for the walls, windows, fins, rolling shutters, and doors. This block is intentionally understated, blending subtly into the background while effectively demarcating the public zone from the back-end areas.

The design aimed to maintain the momentum of student movement between areas, so the various levels were visually connected through corridors lining the courtyards, merging the spaces into a cohesive whole. The internal courtyards of both blocks featured structural slab projections that increased in size as they ascended. The corners of these projections were softened into curves, transforming the rigid square courtyards into dynamic, three-dimensional sculptural spaces. The soffits were painted in different hues, and the projections were filled with plants and creepers, adding vibrancy to these central interaction zones. The junior school courtyard was designed to include a tot-lot (play area), while the senior school courtyard serves as a landscaped extension between the reception and seminar hall.

Due to maintenance challenges, particularly considering Kolkata’s harsh sun and rain, both courtyards were eventually covered at the roof level with translucent polycarbonate sheets. Artificial plants and trees were used in the landscaping instead of the originally proposed natural ones. Despite these adjustments, the courtyards still benefit from abundant diffused natural light, which keeps the spaces lively and fresh.

The school’s base colors were kept neutral, primarily using whites and greys. To add visual interest, the corridors were designed with colored tile panels abutting each door. This allowed children to associate each classroom not only with its sign but also with the specific colors flanking the doors. The 4” x 4” tile panels were arranged in a spectral sequence as one moved through the corridor.

Young students are more engaged by bright colors, patterns, and textures, so the interiors of the junior school classrooms, labs, and liberal arts facilities were designed to be vibrant and stimulating. These spaces incorporated printed wallpaper, painted panels, soft boards in various shapes, playful flooring patterns, and charming furniture, all combined to enhance the children’s experience and provide space for their creativity. The library was designed with a unique false ceiling featuring a dark grey mesh in a grid pattern. The services above the ceiling were painted black, creating the illusion of greater height and giving the typically stacked and dense area a more airy and spacious feel.

A school cafeteria is a place for mischief, fun, and laughter. The café’s furniture and flooring were kept simple, while some walls were planned to feature large graffiti-like wallpaper. The ceiling, however, is a dynamic centerpiece, with a wave pattern made from acrylic tubes of varying lengths and colors. This design was meticulously planned on a grid and categorized by length and color for accurate execution on-site. Light fixtures were integrated within the acrylic tubes, adding to the vibrant atmosphere.

The landscaping was intentionally designed to complement the school’s educational curriculum. It includes fruit and flower trees, a small water feature, a bird bath, and solar and wind-powered lights, all aimed at fostering curiosity through engaging sights, smells, and sounds. Solar and wind-powered lights are integrated with other landscape lighting to enhance the environment. Functionally, driveways are clearly defined, while secondary routes, such as fire-tender access, are paved with grass pavers, blending them into the landscape. Soft mounds and varying sizes and heights of trees and shrubs add visual interest and diversity to the space.