Climate-Responsive Secondary School in Jaisalmer

Rooted Resonance was a contextual design studio that focused on developing architecture deeply embedded in its environment—physically, culturally, and emotionally. The core objective was to understand and respond to the spirit of place by studying the site's natural, historical, and social layers.

Through a series of grounded design explorations, the studio emphasized the importance of contextual sensitivity—how architecture can grow from the land rather than on it. Students were encouraged to investigate local materials, building techniques, cultural practices, and climatic conditions, and translate these findings into meaningful architectural responses.

The studio journey began with site readings, mappings, and narrative-building, followed by conceptual development rooted in the essence of the place. The process celebrated slow architecture, where form, material, and memory come together to create spaces that resonate with their surroundings and the people who inhabit them.

Ultimately, Rooted Resonance was not just about designing a structure—it was about crafting an architecture of belonging, where context isn't a constraint, but a catalyst for creativity.