AA alumna Takbir Fatima (MArch Architecture and Urbanism 2011) has been nominated as a Dezeen emerging architect of the year and interviewed by Marcus Fairs about her project Hilltop School in Hyderabad for the Dezeen Virtual Design Festival.

The school, completed in 2019 by Fatima's practice DesignAware, is perched on the rocky hillside in the centre of Hyderabad. Fatima discussed the design principles and process that underpinned the work on the project:

‘One of our principles was to bring in natural ventilation, and to preserve the rock and the trees... because the terrain was so difficult, we had to carry out multiple land surveys to bring the terrain into our studio. I think it is really important to be able to form a connect between the site and the studio, so that you can replicate the site and understand it.’

She also outlined how the project uses selective moments of colour to create a connection to the surrounding residential area, whilst distinguishing it as a public building:

‘You’ll notice that all of the houses are brightly coloured, and kitsch, very busy with colours and patterns. We wanted to stand out from the local context, but also to internalise some of it. We took some of the bright colours, primary colours and we applied them in pops of colour throughout the school.’

The interview includes a guided video tour of the school.

Watch the interview