The commission involved designing for the extensive DPS (Delhi Public School) system a model school that could easily be adapted to the particular conditions of each location and to minor differences in program. Within the masterplan, which takes all educational levels into account, the first building – 4,000 square meters for the preschool – had to be ready in six months and on a very reduced budget. Such tight conditions had to be reconciled with the desire for a friendly, welcoming, play-stimulating space for children. Hence the modular system based on a 65-square-meter classroom that can be repeated either horizontally or vertically through stacking. The classrooms open on to a corridor and an open-air central court that is the heart of the building, which is possible in a moderate climate like Bangalore’s. Simple mechanisms like pergolas and traditional lattices – jaalis – arranged according to orientation make it possible to regulate ventilation and natural lighting and thus help the building function efficiently.