Shahabuddin School and College: Harmony between design and nature

Mariam, a nursery student of Shahabuddin School and College, says her classroom on campus is her favourite place to be. The room is surrounded by brown, yellow, green and orange windows. Instead of walls, there are bamboo screens on top of them, which let in plenty of light and air. 

Abrar, a kindergarten student, also appreciates the beauty of his classroom. But he especially likes the hiding place between the balcony and the stairs. 

Both Mariam and Abrar are extremely proud of their institution whose architectural design has made it one of the most visited places in Chandpur district. 

Shahabuddin School and College is located around eight kilometres away from Dhaka, next to Bohoria Bazar in Lakshmipur Union. Designed by Archeground Ltd, it was established in 2017 by Shahabuddin Foundation. 

Lutfullahil Majid Reaz served as the principal architect and his team included Nabi Nawaz Khan, Zubair Hasan, Tahlil Bin Reza, Kafil Saddam Hossain, and Mehnaz Chowdhury. Mir Mosharraf Hossain Chowdhury worked as the project's structural engineer.

Coexisting with nature

The school is housed on a 785.32 square metre area provided by Shahabuddin Foundation. The ground floor holds four classrooms and a teachers' room. Four additional classrooms are on the first floor. There is a Shaheed Minar on one side of the playground. 

"The site allotted for the school was in a remote village, surrounded by greenery. Constructing a simple two-storey brick-and-stone building would have ruined the atmosphere," said Reaz. 

"A white or red building here would stand out. But we wanted to create something that would blend in with the surrounding nature," he added. Keeping that in mind, although the structure utilised bricks and stones in its construction, the campus was painted in warm, earthy hues.  

In order to create a playful atmosphere for children, they used colours normally seen in nature, something the children were already familiar with. 

"For example, the colours we chose for the windows are the same colours we see during the life cycle of a leaf," said Reaz, adding, "a leaf is lemon-yellow when it is young, it gradually becomes green and then turns red right before it falls."

The bamboo ceilings, perforated screens and the concrete floors, walls, and frames lowered the project's cost.

The tin roof perfectly compliments the rural atmosphere of the area. The north-south facing structure is never short of light and air due to the open design of the windows.

A large balcony

Multistoried structures may feel unfamiliar to village children, which is why a wide balcony was also included in the design. The balcony's purpose was to always give the children the feeling that they are never too far away from the ground. 

While playing or sitting on a bench on the balcony, it creates the feeling that it is connected to the playground. 

Chutir Shiri

There are two separate staircases which lead to the first floor. One is located inside the building and the other can be accessed from the playground. Reaz calls them 'Chutir Shiri' (stairways to fun).

"Little boys and girls can run up and down the stairs to the classrooms and the playground. They also like to play on them and we built a cave-like structure underneath them to add to their fun."

A place of learning

Children do not only learn in the classroom, but also from their surroundings and the design of the building was envisioned to facilitate just that.

Reaz said, "People cannot survive without nature and the krishnachura tree planted in the middle of the atrium symbolises that very fact. We wanted the children to learn to ​​respect nature."

A mosque on school grounds

Once school is over for the day, it becomes a quiet space. On certain days, a haat (local market) is held here. The architects also built a mosque on the west side of the compound. 

"We built a 3,000 square feet open mosque to ensure that the school grounds are never completely empty. The mosque connects villagers with outsiders. They sit and  hang out around the mosque," said Reaz.

The design of the mosque also allows it to collect and store rainwater. Worshippers use it for ablution and even bathing.

A touch of roots

Local building materials such as bricks, wood, bamboo and tin have been used in this project.

Reaz said, " We wanted to keep the school's atmosphere like that of a regular house in a village. No tiles or glass were used. We did not want to create an unfamiliar environment for the children." 

Customised furniture was designed on-site to reduce the cost by using materials such as wooden plates, metal rods and plates. All the construction work was done by locals. 

"Some of them may even have their own children in this school. If they were involved in this construction, they would also have a sense of pride in the school," said Reaz. 

The education system

At present, the school offers lessons from nursery to class five. There are around 200 students at present. There are 12 teachers, including the head teacher. 

Each nursery class is attended by three teachers. One explains the lessons and the others closely supervise the students. 

The head teacher has arranged for two hours of free coaching classes after school for students of class three to five.

"Most of the students have no one to help them with homework. They have to complete what they learn within school hours. So we give this extra time to them," said the head teacher. 

Though private, the cost of studying in this school is nominal. Admission requires around Tk350, and the monthly fee is around Tk50.

If any meritorious but poor student applies, s/he gets the opportunity to study free of cost. All expenses of the school are funded by Shahabuddin Foundation.

This school's construction started in January 2016 and it was completed in September 2017. It cost around Tk1,80,000,00.