Sajuba Girls High School at Jamnagar, a century old former palace of Raja Jam Sahib Of Jamnagar, is the largest Government run girls school in Gujarat with close to 3000 students.
The palace once occupied a dignified location in the center of the city with ample space all around but with growing city and encroachment a figment of that remain today and this once important landmark is now completely hidden in the myriad of buildings that have sprouted around.Badly damaged in the devastating earthquake of 2000, under the PMO earthquake rehabilitation programe it was desired to completely maul the entire structure and build a completely new school as land for new added requirement was found to be not sufficient. The challenge was to fit in extra of thirty classrooms, three laboratories, a congregation hall and other peripherals within the already constricted space spread around the old building on one hand while still offer a dignified response to the beautiful 100year old structure on the other. Massive retrofitting was carried out to bring the palace back in shape, jacking up strengthening of all openings by providing bracings, wall and corner tightening and epoxy sealing of cracks and new finishes were applied on the inside.The new building is treated like a oval ‘bowl’; a container within which the palace;the content then sits softly and space between the two becomes a desired environment for the children to be, in an atmosphere of ‘Protection and Care’. The new construction is as per the norms of school construction all over Gujarat with plastered walls, kotah stone flooring , MS section windows and earthquake resistant structure.
