SOS Children’s Village Vishakapatnam

Children have the same wishes no matter where they come from… they want clean water to drink and food to eat. They do not want to be sick, they want space to learn, develop and play. They want to know their neighbours and want peace and safety from threats and violence and they tell us they want to collaborate with adults to make their world better.

Located in a beautiful elevated setting with the hills as a backdrop and an ocean view in front, SOS Bheemunipatnam was a project that needed little else. The site was linear with stunning views and this set the tone for the placement of the buildings.

Buildings were in locally available brick, roofed with concrete slabs. Motifs of palmyra leaves became the decorative element in the exposed finish of the slabs in the interior and mangalore tiles provided the insulation cover on the outside.

Local elements of Palmyra logs, motifs of leaves, fish and the sun were used extensively in both the design and the landscape. Palmyra logs provided material for cheap and ecologically sensitive bowers around the site, pergolas for walkways, verandahs, rows of bollards for private areas and even supports for a custom basketball hoop. A pair of discarded boats, symbolic of the connection to the ocean defines the entrance to the kindergarten.