Avasara
Academy,
Lavale, Pune
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Location: Pune
Coordinates: 18° N, 73° E
Climate Type: Warm and Humid
Project Area : 11,148 m2
Typology: Educational
Grid Connectivity: Grid-connected
Architect : Case Design
Avasara Academy, a residential school
campus located in the rocky agrarian
valley of Lavale in Maharashtra,
consists of six similar buildings, each
with classrooms on level 1 and 2, and
student dormitory and faculty
residences on level 3 and 4. Its
uncompromising architecture is simple,
climate-oriented, functional,
sustainable, flexible, affordable,
aesthetical, visually exciting and
inclusive.
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Residential
Industrial
Reedbed system
Well
Polishing pond
The team studied an existing excavation
of an artesian well over a span of a year
and designed a system to replenish the
water levels by rainwater harvesting. On
the other hand, the wastewater from the
building undergoes series of filtration
through reedbeds (bioremediation) and
carbon filters on its way to a polishing
pond where it is exposed to UV from the
sun. This water is then used for watering
the landscape and is distributed
throughout the campus via pumps and
aqua ducts.
Reedbed system: Carbon activators Polishing pond
A reed bed sewage system is created with reed beds used in conjunction with a septic tank. Polishing ponds are used to improve the quality of effluents from efficient
Waste water from the house (from toilets, sinks and baths) is discharged into the septic tank and anaerobic sewage treatment plants like carbon activators, so that the final effluent
is allowed to settle. It then passes on to the reeds which carry oxygen to the soil, which in turn quality becomes compatible with legal or desired standards. The residual organic
encourages microorganisms, algae, bacteria and fungi in the soil to digest the waste material and suspended solids concentrations in the digested sewage are reduced,
contaminants to the point where the waste water is clean enough to be emptied into a land drain, but often the main objective of polishing ponds is to improve the hygienic
soak away or water course. quality, measured by the concentration of two indicator organisms: helminth eggs
and faecal coliforms (FC).
The façade is shrouded in bamboo screens with
variations in the patterns based on the façade
orientation. These locally sourced and skillfully
designed screens serve as sun protection, thus
preventing excessive heating of the interior from
direct sunlight.
The bamboo screen and the lightly woven blades
placed on the overhangs deploy a second skin that
provide privacy, reduce glare, and give a textural
quality to the interior and exterior through a
delightful play of daylight and shadows, while
unifying the architectural scheme.
Articulated concrete construction includes the skeleton structure
with reinforced concrete floors and the prefabricated structural
ceilings. This raw concrete along with the locally sourced stone
interior acts as an inert thermal mass; absorbing the solar thermal
energy during the day and releasing it again after a delay
overnight, resulting in a moderate, more consistent radiant
temperature inside the building.
Use of post-tensioned prestressed slabs reduced the number of
columns giving the spaces an open look and feel. The partition walls
were constructed using fly ash blocks. The team reclaimed old teak
wood doors from abandoned buildings and refurbished them for use in
the campus. Composite marble created using waste glass was used in
various interior applications. The pavement was designed using waste
stone pieces procured from quarries in a beautiful mosaic pattern that
naturally emerged due to the irregular shape of the stones. All these
elements give the buildings and the campus a lot of character.
Outside air is drawn through a series
of earth ducts, where it is passively
pre-cooled, before being supplied
into the classrooms and livings
spaces. The strategy of supplying
outside air through earth ducts also
allows natural ventilation while
eliminating any outside noise
transmission (from the school
campus) into classrooms.
Photovoltaic solar panels and solar
Outdoor air enters a series of earth ducts located underneath the building where it cools water heaters have been installed
down and then enters the classrooms. Warm air exits through the opening closer to the on the roof to provide electricity
ceiling into the central duct of the building. The glazing of the solar chimney is exposed to and supply hot water to the
sun which in turn heats the air inside the duct creating a large temperature difference building. Together, this accounts
between the duct and the classroom spaces. This creates a suction pulling the air out from for around 85% of the energy
the classroom resulting in natural ventilation in the space. The thermal mass of the exposed requirement of the building.
stone floors drives the process through the night once it starts radiating heat.
