Talaricheruvu Rural School
Located in rural Andhra Pradesh, a hot and dry region in Southern India, this project re-envisions a fifteen-year-old school building into a vibrant learning environment for the children of Cement Factory Workers. Strategic planning and adding a 20,000 sqft bamboo canopy on a lightweight branching structure creates a shaded multipurpose zone open to the community during off hours. Colour plays an essential role in the school experience, with soft tones that complement the arid context and a light cement wash on the façade sourced from the adjacent Factory. Black limestone waste material produced in a neighbouring village where the stone is processed was used for all the flooring. The construction was not executed by professional contractors but by workers from nearby towns who were guided with great care by the head engineers from the Cement Factory. The school, with 600 children currently enrolled, is a prototype by the Penna Foundation that will change the quality of education at factories across the region.
