Imagine being a kid who is studying in a school in the middle of the Thar desert without any AC! Here, the temperature goes as high as 50 degree Celsius and harsh hot winds blow sand all day. Quite an ambience for studying isn't it? No this isn't your worst nightmare. This is pure Indian architectural marvel. The town of Jaisalmer is known for its sand dunes named Sam Dunes. Just a six-minute drive away from this famous dune you will come across a Kanoi village. This village in the middle of the desert has an ambitious and noble plan, to educate girls and empower them. Welcome to Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls’ School. The school building is situated in Thar desert. It is made of yellow sandstone and any Indian will tell you that a school situated at such a remote location will never have the facilities of AC.
Yet, you will find little girls attending the school and playing games in the courtyard without a moment's notice to the scorching heat outside.
A US-based architect Diana Kellogg, has the credits of designing this school. It was commissioned by Michael Daube, founder of CITTA, a non-profit organisation.
The school building has an oval shape with solar panels on the top. These act as a canopy to provide shade and also collect power. A geothermal energy cooling system at night is responsible for cooling the building during the day. The yellow sandstone has low carbon emissions and makes the building sustainable.
The learning part of the building is known as the Gyaan Centre. It can accommodate 400 girls between kindergarten and Class X. The rest of the building will be a textile museum and a performance hall. It will also house an exhibition space for local artisans to exhibit and sell their crafts. A part of the building will also be used as an art studio to teach local women how to make the local handicrafts.
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