Inspiration

Design Considerations: The existing buildings at this school have limited use and overexposure to the elements. The entry was via an outdoor connector between the classroom building and the sports building.

Design Approach: We looked to the lessons of the Reggio Emilia schools and their offshoots over the years to formulate our approach.

In order to accommodate a variety of new needs, we enclosed the old classroom building with a larger envelope, creating a huge atrium. This serves as a communal entry, a place for coats and cubbies, and also the main gathering space where the stairs double as seating.

A new connection between the classroom building and the sports building provide new functions, new connections to the school grounds and an accessible rooftop to be used for classroom and other activities.

Consistent with contemporary approaches to teaching/learning, we introduced break rooms to the existing classroom as new projecting blocks.