Al-FURQAN SCHOOL – CLIMATE RESILIANT SMALL SCALE BUILDING – KARACHI

The design for Al Furqan school on an 66 square meter plot in a lower-income area has responded to several issues that the densely populated city of Karachi faces. Riddled with environmental pollution, energy crisis, climate change, rising temperatures, and high real estate prices. This school design maximizes space utilization, minimizes reliance on mechanical cooling devices, and ensures thermal comfort for the students and teachers.

The architectural strategy centered on passive design principles aimed at naturally regulating indoor temperature. Carefully positioned windows were designed to optimize cross ventilation, harnessing prevailing winds to reduce indoor heat accumulation. A vertical stair tower was conceived not merely as a circulation core, but as a passive wind exhaust system—facilitating the upward movement of warm air and enhancing natural airflow throughout the building.

Given the site’s limitation the design also incorporated a strategically placed duct, ensuring effective air distribution across all floors. These elements work in unison to create a thermally efficient indoor environment that prioritizes user comfort while significantly reducing operational costs.

The result is an architectural solution that demonstrates how passive design, strategic planning, and an understanding of climate can transform spatial constraints into an opportunity for innovation, affordability, and result in thermally comfortable buildings on commonly available small plots of 60, 80, 120 square yards in the low-income areas of Karachi.