ST. MARY’S SCHOOL (CBSE)
location: Amanattentheri
Super built-up area: 42000+ sq. ft
This site is located at Amanattentheri, Kanyakumari district. This site sits at an elevated piece of land as compared to the surrounding areas.
The difference in elevation from the entrance to the top where the school was planned is over 50 feet with sloping terrain. This prompted the need for a retaining wall. Since we had to maximize the land usage while simultaneously bringing down the cost of construction, we designed the building to be a closed rectangular structure with an open center. Expansion joints were provided at two locations at account for thermal activities. The retaining wall was constructed between the columns beneath the grade beam level to avoid land wastage while ensuring the structural stability of the building. An L-Shaped retaining wall was constructed to prevent the edge run-off and maintain slope stability.
In addition to this, the soil had to be levelled at the land next to the school to make way for the playground cum gallery arena. Another feature was the usage of piling for the construction of compound walls. It was designed as a frame design with concrete piles of over 12 feet deep and stabilized by the beam on top. The brickwork was constructed above the beam. This technique avoided the RR masonry work temporarily which can be done in the future if the need arises for such. This in turn resulted in a huge saving of time and cost and helped us complete the work before the inspection of the building by regulatory officials.