unTAG Architecture & Interiors, a design practice based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, concerns itself with developing designs that are cost-effective, rooted in their context, climatically suitable, spatially functional and cognisant of local materials and building techniques. Gauri Satam and Tejesh Patil, founders of the Indian architecture studio, chose the moniker unTAG for their practice—reflecting their propensity to eschew the practice of a mono-style in their projects. Instead, the studio’s approach for each project is dictated by the brief, budget, climate and context. unTAG demonstrates this categorical ethos in their projects, which span residential architecture, educational architecture, hospitality design, public architecture and interior design.

A recent foray by the architectural practice in the realm of educational architecture is the rehabilitation of Saraswati Vidyalaya, a school hosting 180 students in the tribal village of Kelthan on the west coast of Maharashtra. The rural government school, situated on the banks of the river Tansa, partially drowned during the 2019 floods in the region. This incident caused irreparable damage to the school infrastructure, which was not designed to withstand the force of the floods. Since the damaged building posed a hazard for the students and teachers, it became imperative to dismantle the existing structure and reconstruct a building in its place.

This intervention was taken on by the Learning Space Foundation, an NGO that has been working to improve rural education since 2005. While the NGO reached out to various donors for fundraising and, hence, managing the finances of the project, unTAG initiated a two-phase rehabilitation of the school building in 2020. unTAG involved the stakeholders in the project right from the beginning, hence making the design and construction of the school a participatory process. While using local materials and community involvement reduced the overall cost of the project, its two-phase proposal ensured that regular classes could be conducted while construction ensued.

The first phase of the project encompasses the construction of a linear structure oriented in a north-south direction. Its second phase, on the other hand, is envisioned as a perpendicular extension to the first structure. Having finished the construction of the first phase, unTAG hopes to commence work on the second phase in May 2025. The new school building rests on a one-acre site. Positioned in the northeast corner of the sizeable site, the built mass helps maximise the school playground.

Since the project is practically a response to the damage withstood by the structure during the 2019 floods, the new structure needed to be constructed, keeping in mind its capacity to resist harm in case of future deluges. For this, the flood-resilient architecture of Saraswati Vidyalaya is propped up on stilts, hence providing less surface area for resistance against floodwaters and, consequently, lessening the possibility of damage by fluvial surges. This open-plan, stilted zone on the ground floor is designated as a multipurpose space. It hosts morning assemblies, mid-day meals, village meetings, medical camps, workshops and other informal and formal activities. With its southern facade hosting elaborate brick planters, a brick wall adorned with jaalis and creepers and a staircase leading to the first floor, the frontage of the school appears lively. Meanwhile, the positioning of these elements on the southern facade shields the interiors from direct sunlight whilst still allowing the inflow of air. One cannot but mark the role of the brick wall and staircase as attenuations against impending floods.

Some other amenities positioned on the ground floor include toilets, a storeroom and a community kitchen for serving mid-day meals to the students. The first floor, on the other hand, hosts three well-lit and cross-ventilated classrooms for eighth, ninth and tenth-grade students, a staffroom, a girls’ restroom and washroom and a washroom for boys. The classrooms and the adjacent verandahs overlook the Mandakini hills in the vicinity, the lush paddy fields surrounding the site, the children's playground within the campus and the Tansa River.

Keeping in mind the economic viability of the project and the hot and humid climatic conditions in the region, unTAG employed various passive design strategies in the school. Supported by a concrete framework, the body of the educational building is built using locally baked red bricks laid out in rat trap bonds. This ensures the breathability of the structure, reduces its mass and ensures enhanced thermal insulation while also serving as a load-bearing element in the construction. Further, brick jaalis, positioned at strategic points, ensure the smooth flow of breeze. The integration of planters and creepers along the facade helps integrate the desired biophilic effect in the school. In portions of the school campus, students have planted seasonal vegetables, hinting at the vocational learning on the campus. These vegetables are mainly used for midday meals.

Another feature that helps reduce material usage is the filler-slab technique employed on the ceiling of the ground floor. With locally crafted earthen disks inserted into the ceiling in a free-flowing pattern, thermal insulation is ensured, and the aesthetic appeal of the space is enhanced. Another sustainable design undertaking in the project is the usage of recycled waste stones (sourced from local vendors) for flooring. These stones are placed on the ground floor in a pattern inspired by the meandering Tansa River. Further, the installation of insulated puff panels for the roof ensures thermal comfort within the classrooms throughout the year, and roof-mounted solar panels ensure self-reliance in terms of energy needs. 

“The students, alongside farmer parents, contributed to the construction through shramdaan [voluntary contribution of labour], as hands-on site training of alternative techniques given by the architects, adding to the skills of locals,” unTAG shares in their official press release. Using local materials, intelligent strategies, and a participatory process helped the Indian architects achieve the reduced construction cost of 1200 INR per sq.ft.

With the first phase of the project culminating in sensitively built and cost-efficient output, Saraswati Vidyalaya now poses as an exemplar of flood-resilient school architecture that utilises local skills, materials and labour to deliver an aesthetically optimised and climate-responsive design. Talking about the project's impact, unTAG shares in their press release, “Phase 1 has led to an immense social impact, with an increase in student intake, encouraging the underprivileged tribal parents to exercise their right to education. An endeavour to uplift and empower the local, through local and with local.”

Project Details

Name: Rebuilding Flood Resilience: Saraswati Vidyalaya, Kelthan, Maharashtra
Location: Village Kelthan, Maharashtra, India
Architectural Studio: unTAG Architecture & Interiors
Lead Architects: Tejesh Patil, Gauri Satam
Design Team: Nikita Patil, Yash Prabhu, Vibhu Viraj
Project Coordination: Nitin Orayan, Learning Space Foundation NGO
Project support: Urvashi Foundation, Mumbai; Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai
Structural Consultant: Nitesh Mishra
Project Management: Vijay Patil,  Yogesh Mali, Ravindra Jadhav
Gross Built Area: 6200 sq ft (578 sq m)
Year of Completion: 2024 (Phase 1)