Akshar Centre for Hearing Impaired Children, Vadodara

  • Typology Health & Education
  • Location Vadodara
  • Area 23,000 sq.ft
  • Year 2016

29 years ago, Ms. Nisha Grover, Hon. Founder Director of “Akshar Center for Hearing Impaired Children”, started teaching in a shed with 5 children. Today, many of the students are working in well-established corporates.

KGA is part of this continued journey and have designed the new Center. Contextually, the center is located amidst a habitat of trees and animals. It is on the western edge of Baroda and is characterized by a topographical construct of levels leading down to the Mini river.

As our architectural journey has led us to develop a sensitivity towards the location of the place, this particular site excited us and pushed us to go beyond fulfilling only the program.

Keeping the contours in mind, the schools program is divided into three segments working with the landscape. As a result, the divisions create tiered courtyards in between the physical structures. The in-between or transition space is used for kids toys and games.

It is a hybrid structure owing to a marriage between bamboo and steel with a thatched roof and compressed earth blocks made at site. The building blocks was a result of using the same soil excavated at site. We took this as an opportunity to engage the students and teachers in this very simple construction method by making them form these blocks through the machine.

A truly inspiring space for deaf kids and their dedicated teachers.