Perceptive Ideas Consulting Engineers has provided structural engineering services for RAYA School in Bangalore, helping translate the campus' unconventional architectural design into a buildable structural system.

The school has been designed around interconnected circular towers, large open classrooms, cantilevered sections and a 27-metre clear-span auditorium. The towers are connected through internal ramps while retaining their circular geometry.

Columns have been positioned around the outer perimeter of the circular towers at intervals of approximately 10 to 13 metres. This configuration allows the interiors to remain largely column-free, providing greater flexibility for classroom planning and use.

Secondary beams have been arranged radially across the circular floor plates to distribute structural loads while maintaining the geometry of the buildings. The project also incorporates large cantilevered volumes extending beyond the main building line, requiring careful load transfer into the primary structure.

One of the key structural challenges was the 27-metre clear-span auditorium, where columns were restricted to the perimeter to maintain unobstructed sightlines and flexible seating arrangements.

Perceptive Ideas designed large, deep beams to support the auditorium roof and the steel dome above it. The structural system was developed to accommodate the additional loads while preserving the architectural intent of the space.

The project demonstrates the role of integrated structural planning in buildings with unconventional geometries, particularly in areas such as column positioning, radial floor framing, long-span construction and cantilever design.

Perceptive Ideas said the RAYA School project adds to its experience in adapting structural solutions to complex architectural requirements across educational and institutional developments.