Modern School

Conceived for Modern School, Vasant Vihar, the Golden Jubilee Block is planned as a Centre for Performing Arts within a compact site set between the existing school building, sports field, and club edge. Rather than reading as a stand-alone object, the proposal is intended as an extension of the school’s larger culture, one that gives performance and creative expression a more visible and integrated place within daily student life. The brief brings together a black box theatre, music recording studios, activity rooms, administration spaces, a semi-covered exhibition area, and a large multipurpose hall within a tightly organised footprint.

What distinguishes the scheme is the way it balances institutional clarity with a more open and interactive spatial experience. Internal courtyards, light wells, open corridors, semi-covered breakout areas, and stepped seating zones soften the transition between enclosed rooms and shared spaces, allowing the building to function not only as a set of specialised facilities but also as a place of encounter, rehearsal, display, and informal learning. The multipurpose hall is sized to accommodate both assembly and sport, while the exhibition court and breakout terraces extend the life of the building beyond scheduled use.

The architectural language pays deliberate homage to the existing campus through exposed brick, recessed openings, landscaped courts, and shaded corridors, while introducing a contemporary environmental logic of perforated screens, self-shading courts, stack effect cooling, and cross ventilation. More than an anniversary block, it is imagined as a cultural anchor for the school: rooted in its legacy, but oriented toward a more expansive idea of education.