The act of learning does not thrive solely within the confines of textbooks or on worn-out chalky blackboards, but is influenced significantly by the context in which it occurs. Hence, designing schools and other learning environments is a multilayered process that exacts deep sensitivity and social responsibility. Bangalore-based architecture and interior design studio, CollectiveProject, channels a similar intent in its reimagining of a long-neglected 15-year-old school building in Andhra Pradesh, India. With play, inclusivity and flexibility at the centre, the studio renders the Talaricheruvu Rural School—serving the children of a nearby cement factory workers—anew with a soft colour palette and a reorganised spatial layout. “Every design choice was rooted in local and easily available materiality, climate and culture,” Cyrus Patell, founder, CollectiveProject, tells STIR. “Sensitivity to site and identity ensured that the school felt both of its place and aspirational—empowering students and teachers alike.”

In the arid landscape of the Talaricheruvu village, the original L-shaped building stood in the rear corner of a barren two-acre site—structurally intact, but in slight disrepair. Lacking any provisions for shade, barring a few trees along the boundary wall, the site offered little relief from the harsh climate of the region. Moreover, the interiors lacked adequate natural light and ventilation and the spatial arrangement did not allow for seamless access and movement. To address the obtrusive shortcomings of the school architecture, Penna Foundation—a privately owned cement company—commissioned a renovation project. The brief sought a prototype that could be implemented at other regional cement factories, and includes efficiently designed spaces and extracurricular programmes while attracting qualified educators. CollectiveProject responded with a proposal that expands the spatial programme and places due emphasis on light, ventilation and play. While preserving the structural shell, the studio doubled the school’s classroom capacity and achieved a campus-like ambience.

While the initial school building contained 16 oversized classrooms, a library that doubled as a faculty room, two labs and distant external bathrooms, these facilities were difficult to access and lacked essential infrastructure. The new school programme, expanding beyond the government-mandated curriculum for the first ten years of formal schooling, is broadened to make room for vocational training, sports and arts. The spatial programme, on the other hand, is reworked to include 24 classrooms, three laboratories, two dedicated faculty lounges and two multi-purpose libraries. “Rather than demolishing it, we chose to retain and rework the structure—modifying the façade with jali screens, reorganising oversized classrooms and opening the ground floor to improve flow across the campus,” Patell explains, in his conversation with STIR.

A series of independent, lightweight pavilions now houses additional programmes such as a kitchen, cafeteria, AV hall, preschool, kindergarten, art room, bathrooms and a bicycle parking space. To unify the dispersed structures with the main building, the Indian architects introduced a prominent 20,000-square-foot bamboo canopy as an element gesturing to both utility and poetry. Resting on a light, branching metal framework, the expansive fabrication of the lattice-like shed enables outdoor learning, play and gatherings—offering much-needed shade in a region where high temperatures make outdoor spaces unusable. As light filters through the bamboo construction, a rhythmic play of shadows animate the once-exposed grounds, pulling in both children and teachers into an ambience of shared learning.

As per the design team, 15,000 bamboo poles, sourced via government forestry programmes, were seasoned on-site to ensure durability and assembled by unskilled workers from neighbouring villages under the supervision of cement factory engineers. “The canopy’s structural complexity required simple construction and installation methods and continuous on-site coordination over a six-year phased construction period, all while the school remained operational,” Patell notes.

Materials and colours throughout the school are employed to express a keen sensitivity to the context and the climate. Muted hues such as pale pinks, greens and blues sit in harmony against the arid landscape; a light cement wash on the façade sourced from the adjacent cement factory is a nod to the educational building’s industrial surroundings. Locally available and repurposed materials are utilised optimally, reiterating the project’s low-impact ethos. Black Kadappa limestone, incorporated across the school’s flooring, is sourced from waste produced in a nearby village that processes stone from local quarries. Together, these decisions laid the groundwork for reduced costs and minimal environmental impact while reinforcing an honest sense of place in the architecture.

Over six years, the renovation architecture unfolded in carefully phased stages, causing no hindrance to the school’s operations. With its construction entrusted to local labourers under the guidance of engineers from the nearby cement factory, the project’s creative journey is rooted in collaboration and contextual thinking. In an innovative case of adaptive reuse, materials, spatial narratives and climate-responsive design exemplify CollectiveProject’s philosophy of positioning the context as muse. The Talaricheruvu Rural School transforms from an overlooked campus into an aspirational space, fostering learning as the architects reimagine what educational architecture and access can look like in rural India through the lens of design.