Located within the Dayalbagh Educational Institute campus in Agra, this crèche is conceived as a gentle first home for children aged three months to three years, shaped by nature, climate and holistic pedagogy. Four interconnected pentagonal classrooms, arranged around an entrance alley, encourage free movement, play and shared discovery. Deep overhangs, shaded verandahs, indirect lighting and clerestories respond to the semi-arid climate while keeping interiors calm, cool and glare-free. It is a place where care, climate and pedagogy come together, allowing infants and toddlers to grow in close contact with nature. Four pentagonal classrooms open to one another like petals, supporting different age groups while keeping them visually and emotionally connected. Deep overhangs, shaded verandahs and soft, indirect light shield children from heat and dust, creating calm, luminous interiors. Built with locally sourced bamboo and mud from the site itself, and crowned by a spiralling bamboo roof reminishing the merry-go-round frozen in motion, the crèche becomes both a shelter and a quiet celebration of sustainable, humane architecture.

Beyond serving as a crèche, the project stands as a living demonstration of sustainable construction, community participation and climate-responsive design. Built collaboratively with university’s staff, students, community volunteers and CGBMT, it reinforces the institute’s commitment to value-based education, ecological responsibility and learning from the earliest years of life.