Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School is a girls' school in the rural

Thar Desert The Thar Desert (), also known as the Great Indian Desert, is an arid region in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent that covers an area of in India and Pakistan. It is the world's 18th-largest desert, and the world's 9th-large ...

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer , nicknamed ''The Golden city'', is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur, in the heart of the Thar Desert. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer district ...

in the Indian state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. The school is unique in that the architects designed it in the shape of an oval that can withstand temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius. The school can accommodate 400 girls from kindergarten to tenth grade. The school is aimed to provide education and training in traditional skill sets such as artistry, weaving, embroidery for women. Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School is owned and managed by CITTA India, and was designed by Diana Kellogg Architects. It is on the boundary of

Desert National Park Desert National Park is a national park in the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the towns of Jaisalmer and Barmer. It is one of the largest national parks, covering an area of in the Thar Desert. Sand dunes form around 44% of the park. The maj ...

, and the city of Sam, Jaisalmer lie close by in the west which is the location of sand dune safaris and resorts.

History

The school is named after "Ratnavati," the Jaisalmer princess. She was the daughter of Maharawal Ratan Singh.

School uniform

Sabyasachi Mukherjee Sabyasachi Mukherjee (born 23 February 1974) is an Indian fashion designer, jewellery designer, retailer and couturier from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Since 1999, he has sold designer merchandise using the label Sabyasachi. Mukherjee is one ...

of India designed the school uniforms through

Ajrak Ajrak (), also known as Ajrakh, is a unique form of textile block-printing found primarily in Sindh, Pakistan and the village of Ajrakhpur in the bordering Kutch district of India. Ajrak textiles like shawls or dresses display special designs and ...

, a local printing technique similar to

printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ...

Architecture

Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School is located in the rural region surrounding Jaisalmer, near the hamlet of Kanoi. Its architecture is unique and distinctive, featuring an oval-shaped building amidst the desert landscape. The elliptical-shaped structure, angled towards the prevailing winds, is designed to effectively circulate cool air, aligning with the project's ethos. Jaisalmer stonemasons built the school out of precut golden sandstone.

Building material

CITTA India employed traditional methods in the design of the structure, one of which was the application of lime plaster on the interior walls. Lime plaster is a natural, porous material that has a cooling effect. Additionally, a wall was added into the design, which is a sandstone grid that promotes acceleration of wind through the

Venturi effect The Venturi effect is the reduction in fluid pressure that results when a moving fluid speeds up as it flows from one section of a pipe to a smaller section. The Venturi effect is named after its discoverer, the Italian physicist Giovanni Ba ...

. The school is made of local yellow sandstone that was handcrafted by local artisans. The building is designed in a way that it does not require the use of air conditioning.

Building

The school is one of three buildings in the complex known as the "GYAAN Center." * The hall is an area designated for a library and a museum, and a space for performances and art exhibitions for local crafts such as textiles. The women could learn local weaving and embroidery techniques. *The courtyard has a

rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a Rainwater tank, tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), Aquifer s ...

facility.

Awards

* The school was awarded the AD100 in 2020 – an annual survey of the best names in design by

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast ...

India.

CITTA

The royal family of Jaisalmer and Manvendra Singh Shekhawat donated the land for the school.

References

External links

CITTA Foundation
{{coord, 26.8982485, 70.5656244, type:landmark Girls' schools in Rajasthan Jaisalmer Education in India Education in India by state or union territory and district Education in India by populated place