The Quest School
Quest is a learning center for children between the ages 8 to 14, located in the coastal city of Chennai in southern India. Children and colour are almost synonymous. Whenever there is any representation with children, it is always with colour. And as a contrast we at KSM are great lovers of concrete.
Our material palette for the project was exposed concrete ceiling, bamboo shuttered concrete facade panels, polished concrete floor, concrete paving, concrete benches and natural grey aluminium fins as a shading device. In contrast to our muted colour palette we had to cater to this? The link was the learning app they use at Quest called Bread crumb, which uses the primary colours of the colour spectrum and a few others. While celebrating concrete as a building material in its natural form, we infused colour in the project through a few deliberate strokes.
The bamboo shuttered concrete facade is punctuated with coloured window jambs. These colorful windows frame the view of the sea and the horizon beyond. The splash of colour seamlessly flows from the facade onto the arrival walkway and into the building.
- Located in India
- Submitted by KSM Architecture
- Finalists 2024
Colour Codes
The staircases are sculptural metal objects hanging in the central atrium creating a sense of identity to the space it leads to. Each room gets its name from the staircase adjacent to it. The yellow, blue and the red room.
The red spiral staircase emerges out of the building leading to the cafeteria on the terrace. It’s a sculptural element hanging in the sky that responds differently during the day and the night. The experience of colour is further enhanced with the usage of light.
The wooden planks used for concrete shuttering were salvaged and used as wall paneling, reading table, table tops and storage planks. The wood along with the grey hues form a canvas for various colourful artifacts and equipment.
The natural greenery, the lawn offset the grey shades that are further heightened by the green slide.
The artwork that signifies the various activities that are done at Quest, it brings the walls to life, thus making colour an immersive experience of the interiors. The artwork resonates onto the walls of the classroom too. The geographical location of Quest along the coast of Chennai is depicted as an abstract art on the cafeteria wall.
Concrete used in its honest form serves as a canvas accentuating the colours.
The QUEST School
Children and colour are almost synonymous. Whenever there is any representation with children, it is always with colour. And as a contrast we at KSM are great lovers of concrete.
"Quest has been envisaged as a toy box that contains multiple journeys for the children that they experience with natural air, light and colour in their pursuit of education."
KSM Architecture
