The architecture of schools today must anticipate the changing nature of education. As learning shifts from instruction to exploration, the built environment is required to accommodate flexibility, integration of technology, and informal modes of engagement.
At Heritage Xperiential Learning School in Gurugram, the design responds to this pedagogical shift. The brief called for a future-ready campus where spatial planning supports evolving teaching practices and diverse learner needs. The question driving the design process was clear: how can space adapt as learning evolves?
Organised as a series of interconnected learning clusters, the school allows for both focused and collaborative activities. Circulation spaces, receptions, and administrative zones are designed as active interfaces rather than residual areas to extend the experience of learning beyond the classroom.
The building envelope, articulated in natural stone, establishes a grounded and climatically responsive identity. Its layered façade mitigates heat gain and glare while creating a distinct visual character for the campus. Orientation, shading, and material choice were guided by environmental performance as much as by form.
A key component of the program was the design of activity-based areas, including dance and music rooms, art studios, and makers’ labs, each with specific acoustic, spatial, and daylight requirements. These spaces were conceived to support movement, experimentation, and interdisciplinary learning, reinforcing the school’s emphasis on hands-on engagement.
Through a careful alignment of pedagogy and architecture, Heritage Xperiential Learning School creates an adaptable framework for education, one that is responsive to its context, resilient to change, and rooted in the everyday experience of learning.
