A close-up of the playground captures the joyful energy of children at play against the backdrop of the textured rammed-earth facade. The composition highlights the tactile materials and the interplay between the children's bright, fluid movement and the building's grounded, rustic form.

A School Without Classrooms: Rural Education Reimagined in India's Western Ghats

Words by Yatzer

Nashik, Maharashtra, India

Tucked deep within India’s Satmala mountain range, 70 kilometres from Nashik city, the small settlement of Hiwali is home to just 25 farming households. Until recently, the village’s children studied in a makeshift shelter. Today, thanks to the vision of architect Pooja Khairnar, the founder of multidisciplinary design studio PK_iNCEPTiON, they now attend a purpose-built school that is as pedagogically innovative as it is architecturally thoughtful. With no fixed classrooms, instead pupils move fluidly between a series of interconnected spaces in an environment designed to foster collaboration and curiosity as much as academic learning.

A short hike from the village road, the school occupies a narrow strip of terraced farmland at the mountain’s edge. The architects began with a protective water moat to divert runoff, then arranged five modular blocks, diagonally in alignment with prevailing winds. Combined with their aerodynamic U-shaped footprint, this configuration channels cooling breezes across the structure while also allowing for future expansion.

Hiwali school's configuration, featuring low-profile rammed-earth modules and a wide playground, is seen from above. This rustic, communal setting, with children at play, highlights the architecture's role in fostering community, contrasting the simple, brutalist geometry with the organic terrain.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

An aerial view shows the school's contemporary, light-roofed structure situated among the village's traditional houses and terraced fields. The contrasting architectural forms emphasize the school as a new, visible anchor for the community, reflecting an authentic, neo-vernacular intervention within the rural fabric.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

A high-angle view reveals Hiwali school's seamless integration into the wooded hillside, emphasizing contextual architecture. The long, low profile and earth-brick color palette—a direct neo-vernacular reference—blend with the ochre soil and surrounding green foliage, creating a harmonious, authentic structure.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

Three cylindrical, load-bearing earth brick classrooms stand beneath a unifying, lightweight roof, illustrating modular design principles. Children play in the foreground on the raw earth, emphasizing the school's neo-vernacular materials and its role as an energetic, authentic community space.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

A close-up of the playground captures the joyful energy of children at play against the backdrop of the textured rammed-earth facade. The composition highlights the tactile materials and the interplay between the children's bright, fluid movement and the building's grounded, rustic form.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

The curved earthen brick walls are offset by a linear stone retaining wall and a clean, industrial downspout chain, highlighting the blend of traditional and modern details. The setting sun casts a warm light, emphasizing the biophilic connection to the mountain range in the distance.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

A low-angle view captures the powerful geometry of a cylindrical classroom module at sunset. The curved wall of compressed earth bricks is grounded by a stone plinth, contrasting the rustic, neo-vernacular materials with the delicate chains used for rainwater collection and a fine gravel path.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

An open learning area receives a dramatic wash of golden light, highlighting the intersection of a slate-grey floor and the earthen brick steps. The expansive blackboards and the blurred figure of a child convey movement and a purposeful, minimalist spatial clarity.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

Featuring semi-circular courtyards, the blocks auxiliary spaces like a computer room, library, and office, yet it is what happens between these blocks that makes the design truly innovative. Here, a series of stepped platforms form informal amphitheatres where children gather to attend classes, socialize and rest. This concept takes a page from Louis Kahn’s theory of “TO and THROUGH” spaces which distinguishes between spaces we move to, which are destinations like rooms and halls, and spaces we move through, such as corridors, thresholds, and transitions often dismissed as mere circulation. At Hiwali, these “through” spaces become the heart of the school where children move fluidly between different activities. Folding partitions and multiple blackboards further support the spatial fluidity, while multiple arrival and exit points reinforce independence and curiosity.

The technology lab is defined by tall earthen brick partitions and an interior wall of natural bamboo screening, diffusing light for a soft, biophilic atmosphere. The contrast between the raw brick texture and the clean lines of the modern computer stations exemplifies neo-vernacular function.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

An expansive view of the semi-open pavilion reveals its modular, industrial framework of white metal posts and corrugated roof. Low, stepped earthen brick seating walls create informal learning zones and circulation paths, lending a rustic, authentic character to the flexible, sun-drenched space.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

A student sits on a stepped brick platform that doubles as seating and a stage, facing the central blackboard walls. Low afternoon light emphasizes the tactile, earthen textures and the geometry of the space, creating an authentic, adaptable outdoor-indoor classroom setting.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

The school's interior reveals a flexible, open learning pavilion defined by a grid of white industrial columns and exposed rafters. Fixed blackboards are built into low earthen brick walls, contrasting the raw, natural texture with the clean, modernist lines for a functional, neo-vernacular teaching space.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

This approach aligns seamlessly with the unconventional pedagogy of Hiwali’s remarkable teacher, Keshav Gavit. Renowned for his innovative methods, Gavit emphasises group learning, activity-based teaching, and the integration of life skills into daily routines. Just as his lessons dissolve the boundary between academic study and practical knowledge, so too does the architecture blur the line between learning space and play space.

Materially, the school balances pragmatism and tactility. Load-bearing walls of exposed brick are warm to the touch and durable, while their surfaces allow for easily mounting writing boards. Stone flooring in formal zones gives way to warmer cow-dung flooring on the elevated plinth, comfortable for sitting on or even napping, while a floating metal roof improves ventilation.

The dynamic learning environment features distinct areas: tiered seating, floor seating near large blackboards, and a white screen for projections. The use of natural earthy tones and rustic brick walls establishes an authentic and visually engaging educational landscape.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

Students engage in varied activities across the multi-level pavilion, illustrating the flexible spatial design. The tiered seating of compressed earth bricks transitions into a smooth slate floor, anchoring the communal area beneath the light, industrial metal-framed roof.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

  • The school's library occupies one of the circular volumes, featuring a curved wall of textured earthen brick lined with thin metal shelving. The cozy, Zen atmosphere is enhanced by the circular form, creating an intimate, authentic space for contemplation and study.

    Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

  • Inside an intimate courtyard, two students rest on a curved, built-in bench constructed entirely from earthen bricks. Sunlight dramatically skims the textured wall, celebrating the brutalist, simple beauty of the neo-vernacular material and the power of pure, honest form.

    Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

The dynamic interior uses earthen brick walls to define stepped classroom zones with large blackboards. The open, industrial ceiling structure ensures ventilation, while the multi-level arrangement of rustic brick and smooth slate floor fosters flexible, authentic interactions between students and the space.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

Hiwali School offers a blueprint for low-impact, low-cost rural schools but just as importantly it reimagines what primary education can look and feel like. With no fixed classrooms or fixed routes, the building demonstrates how effectively architecture can play a pivotal role in shaping more adaptable, inclusive, and joyful ways with which to educate children.

Golden hour light bathes the hillside, giving the forest a rich, amber glow that complements the earthen textures of the school’s facade. The minimalist line of the roof contrasts with the organic woodland, creating a tranquil, biophilic scene of architecture in quiet dialogue with nature.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

Afternoon sunlight rakes across the curved, earthen brick walls, illuminating the authentic texture of the material and casting long shadows. This minimalist, sculptural view, framed by the white roof trim, underscores the structural poetry of the three cylindrical classroom volumes.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

An aerial view captures the Hiwali School's distinct modular form nestled within the Satmana mountains. Its light-gray, butterfly roof and three circular modules of compressed earth bricks create a biophilic anchor in the arid, golden landscape, respecting the surrounding agricultural patterns and indigenous tree cover.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.

Framed by trees, the Hiwali School's modular forms emerge subtly from the rolling, arid landscape. This contextual composition, blending the earthen architecture with the dry grasses and foliage, underscores the project's deep authenticity and minimal environmental footprint.

Photography by Pranit Bora Studio.