A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering of the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand.

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1975

This study is an attempt to present a solution to the problem of the inadequacy of rural school buildings, a problem confronting the development of rural education. School building design, being one of the interdependent elements in the planning of an educational system, is affected by social, political, cultural, demographic and climatic factors as well as educational and economic policies. These factors are briefly reviewed, and the concept and criteria for the design of a low-cost rural school building are presented. Anthropometric data, different arrangement of classrooms, sun shading diagrams and natural methods of environmental control are collected and provided in the form of figures and tables, which may be used as a design guide. The proposed design, which contains .two classrooms, each 6 m. x8.6 m. in plan, is basically a structure with two longitudinal load bearing walls resting on reinforced concrete slab on grade. To attain the six meters clear span required without intermediate columns, the asbestos car port tile roof is supported by the two load bearing walls and a central timber truss which is supported in turn at the central partition and the two end walls. The lateral stiffness of the system is strengthened by a horizontal bracing system at the ceiling level. The cost of the proposed school building is approximately ~530 per square meter, an equivalent of i490 per pupil place with a ratio of 0.92 square meter per pupil place.