The Northstar Nest
The Northstar Nest is a kindergarten campus located in Rajkot, Gujarat. This rectangular site of 8000 sqft has the Stilt +3 floor building oriented in the east ? west direction. The play area and garden are located on the west side of the plot demarcated for open space reserve and the building is located on the east. All amenities were housed within the limited area available with three classrooms on every floor.
Photography by © Ishita Sitwala | The Fishy Project
A trompe l? oeil has been tried out with the overall massing to make this Stilt+ 3 floors look bigger than it is. Horizontal ribs/fins run across the entire periphery acting like a brise-soleil, reducing heat generated on the walls.
As this school is located in a fast-developing urban pocket with less neighboring buildings nearby, there was a chance of heat generation and hence the introduction of these sun breakers. Between the three fins in each floor, The first fin becomes the railing; Distance between the second and third fins are punctured to accommodate windows/ openings The third/last fin has the lintel introduced taking aesthetics and functionality into consideration. The last rib also has windows that are meant for heat vents. Photography by © Ishita Sitwala | The Fishy Project
The design intent was to not have sharp edges in order to make the building child- friendly and also visually give a bigger building for children. These ribs camouflage the levels and play with scale blurring t...