Dhun School

India (unbuilt)

Proposed within the 7.5-acre Dhun Life community, this school was imagined as an immersive learning environment shaped by the site’s decade-long ecological regeneration. Oriented east–west to minimise heat gain and maximise daylight, its linear form, shaded courtyards, and central tree-lined spine worked with prevailing breezes to create a naturally comfortable campus.

Construction was designed to come almost entirely from the land itself: 300 mm thick poured-earth walls, recycled-tile timbrel vaults, and soil stabilised with GGBS from on-site lake excavations. Materials would be sourced within a 5 km radius, with foundations, blocks, and walls produced locally, creating employment and training opportunities for unskilled workers.

The masterplan merged architecture with a permaculture landscape - weaving food forests, butterfly gardens, water-harvesting systems, and biodiversity corridors between classrooms and streets. Historic water features were preserved and integrated with swales and wells, reinforcing the site’s revived ecology while providing hands-on learning opportunities for students.

Shaped through participatory workshops with families, students, and teachers, the scheme envisioned six distinct learning environments - from nature labs to civic forums, designed to serve both pupils and the wider community. Drawing on regional settlement patterns of shaded courts, narrow streets, and perforated stone screens, the design proposed a climate-responsive, culturally rooted campus uniting environmental resilience with social connection.