Yatin Pandya, author, activist, academician, researcher and a practising architect, has been

involved with city planning, urban design, mass housing, architecture, interior design, product
design as well as conservation projects for decades. His firm, Footprints E.A.R.T.H.
(Env ironment Architecture Research Technology Housing), is a professional service
organisation involved in environmental studies, architectural design, indigenous research,
alternative technology and affordable housing.

Pandya, who has won over 25 national and international awards, has written over 200
articles in national and international journals. Several books authored by him on architecture
have been published internationally. He has also been involved in preparing over 30 video
documentaries on architecture. The key principles of his work are environmental
sustainability, socio-cultural appropriateness, timeless aesthetics and economic affordability.

In this piece penned for Insite, the architect who wears many hats speaks about the India
First Foundation (IFF) school campus in Karjat, where an effort has been made to ensure
that the built environment and the many installations contribute to students’ learning
experience.
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Amphitheatre transformed into an open book on space sciences by turning

spatial elements like floor, amphitheatre steps, walls, lighting elements and
Photos courtesy: Footprints E.A.R.T.H. landscaping into thematic spatial installations
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To educate, is to develop mentally,
morally and aesthetically. Holistic
learning therefore is about
information, exposure, analysis,
understanding and explorations. It is
about learning more than teaching.
This calls for self-indulgence and
initiatives from the students. How can
the built environment contribute to
the same?
At India First Foundation (IFF) school
campus in Karjat, an attempt has
been made to overlay spatial
installations on to the basic physical
envelope in order to inculcate the
habit of inquiry, to raise the level of
exposure and to make education
interactive. At IFF, the court, the
corridors and the classes are
animated with diverse installations in
consonance with their space
conditions, designated functions and
the desired format of conduct. These
multimedia 3D display collages consist
of curriculum-related information in
an interactive and exploratory
format. Retained as teaching and
learning tools within the framework
of the course curriculum, they
extend beyond the text book with
their dynamic formats for higher
intensity of interactivity in order to
sustain interest, ease
comprehension and inspire
explorations and self-indulgence.
These learning tools not only help
imbibe understanding of subject
matter first hand, but also go beyond
to inculcate lateral thinking.
Installations such as these have
morphed spaces into places with
vitality and voids into virtual labs with
virility. For example an open-to-air
amphitheatre is transformed into an
Metal fabricated ‘jali’ on the façade, rendering play of shadows inside
designer’s insight
open book on space sciences by
yatin pandya
turning spatial elements such as the
floor, amphitheatre steps, walls,
lighting elements and landscaping into
thematic spatial installations. The
centre of the circular amphitheatre
is punctuated with a sundial. The
floor landscape is defined by 12
radiating stone petals alternated by
the soft grass cover. Each stone petal Dining hall animated with installations of
has hand carved, laser burnt and world atlas showing the spice route with
inlaid stone and steel elements live samples and India map overlaid with
representing twelve ‘Rashis’ with cuisines of India
accurate depiction of constellation
of stars as per the zodiac calendar.
Reference to three seasons is made
in three amphitheatre steps with
natural stone rendering each in red,
green and black, depicting summer,
monsoon and winter respectively.
The seasons are also pronounced by
planting trees along the outer
periphery of the wall – alternately
blooming and fruiting in respective
seasons. The foliage of these large
trees creates a natural green
backdrop to the amphitheatre,
muffling unwanted sounds. Shrubbery
consists of fragrant plants for their
lingering aroma at nights, when the
amphitheatre is in use.
Lighting elements are designed in
steel and glass with the scientific, at
glance, information on nine planets
and Sun and Moon etched and Water body in front of the stage depicting
digitally printed. The cultural the world with fountains depicting the
geography of the world is depicted continents
by the back-lit digitally printed glazed
parapet, depicting wonders of the
ancient, medieval and modern world
along with flags of all the countries
of the world. Digital craft is
juxtaposed with vernacular art. A 200-
feet-long opaque parapet wall with a
terracotta backdrop and white
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 An exhibition hall (Global village), with a long wall of a collage of personalities, culture of the world, and independent tree like
abstract installation holding 192 panels of each country with well researched data

rendering, in local Warli painting

tradition, depicts the evolution of
world from ‘Hiranyagarbh’ to Aryan
village to epics like Ramayan and
Mahabharat, invasions, colonisation
as well as contemporary world icons.

The water body in front of the stage

portrays the world atlas with five
fountains representing the
continents. Obelisks on the sides of
the stage designed as tall pyramid-
shaped light features are a modern
day abstractions of the ‘Dipstambh’
of temple complexes in Maharashtra
region. These pyramidical
installations, representing the Sun
and Moon, have laser carved phases Dining hall animated with installations of world atlas showing the spice route with live
of solar eclipse and crescents of samples and India map overlaid with cuisines of India
moon respectively. The panel above
the proscenium portal of the stage Another patina overlaid is of cuisines has 192 well-researched panels, one
depicts the evolution of life forms of India in the form of wall installations on a country, carrying at-a-glance
ranging from fish, amphibian and and LED light hangings. They not only information about the nation.
reptiles to dinosaurs, mammals and depict over 20 cuisines of India but Information such as each country’s
human being. Thus, a total microcosm also inform about their ingredients, national flag, national symbols,
within the cosmos. calorie as well as nutritional values. demography, landscape, currency,
School corridors have live installations national features, people, flora,
Likewise other open, semi-covered of games and puzzles, providing fauna, architecture, sports etc. is
and enclosed spaces of the campus information as well as entertainment. provided. These panels are hung like
have also been animated with It remains aesthetic as well as drooping foliage, on a free-standing
educational installations. For example educative, and above all interactive. metal stand, much as a treelike
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the dining hall was animated with
installations of the spice route with
live samples of 51 spices from across
the world as well as representation
of navigation vessels of the time.
Some permanent displays are
mounted in a few halls, connecting
students to the rest of the world. An
exhibition hall called Global Village
abstract installation. The ceiling is
matt black with linear slits of LED
lighting illuminating the whole space
from the ceiling. These lighting slits
are the datelines (hour lines) of the

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 designer’s insight

yatin pandya
An exhibition hall (Global village), with a long wall of a collage of personalities, culture of the world, and independent tree like
abstract installation holding 192 panels of each country with well researched data

world atlas, corresponding to GMT.

Thus they not only become lighting
and visual features but also
informative ones. Glossy flooring
reflects this lighting and enhances its
spread. The 60-feet-long wall creates
the backdrop of faces and attire of
people from round the world,
depicting the diversity of culture and
places. Three-dimensional self-lit
cubical protrusions from this plane
are the photos and information on
100 personalities of the world that
have left their mark on humanity.
These are people who will serve as
role models. Touch-screen kiosks and
remote switches make their
Interactive panels, consisting of models, puzzles, kinetic sculptures, digital displays and
operations interactive as well. do it yourself experiments based on the curriculum of each class

Similarly at IFF, every classroom and

laboratory is provided with wall
installations based on the specific
curriculum and course contents of
the given standard. These
installations — in the form of 16-feet-
long panels, each consisting of
models, charts, puzzles, kinetic
sculptures, digital displays and do-it-
yourself experiments — offer value
additions to a neutral space. They
serve as learning and teaching tools
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in addition to being visual interest

elements. They also act as stimuli to
trigger initiatives from students and
teachers alike and help inculcate a
spirit of learning among pupils. Interactive panels in dance, music, humanities and other laboratories

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