#educational architecture

Nairobi Waldorf School, Kenya,

Classrooms are enveloped in wooden logs to harmonize with their forested environment. The project located in forest clearings, features a series of temporary classrooms organized as a “small village” to serve the existing Nairobi Waldorf School.

Construction system was conceived to be adaptable and collaborative, engaging children, parents, and teachers in the process.

Whenever feasible, materials from dismantled classrooms were recycled – wooden floors and walls were transformed into parapets, and roof tiles were repurposed to define path boundaries, among other uses.

The construction materials were chosen for sustainability, including locally sourced red laterite soil from the site excavations for the ‘living walls’ and recyclable polycarbonate for transparency and efficiency

This approach seamlessly blended creativity, sustainability, and community involvement, resulting in a truly unique educational environment.

Together with Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf education Maria Montessori’s method represents the most common alternative pedagogical principle. But in contrast to Steiner Montessori didn’t lay out specific architectural principles for her schools and educational institutions since in fact Montessori education doesn’t necessarily require a specific architectural environment. Together with Dutch architect Ad Grimmon Montessori nevertheless developed an ideal school, a prototype that was never realized and only survived in a couple of drawings annotated by her. Grimmon actually was a central figure within Montessori’s Dutch network and the Netherlands were a fertile ground for her progressive education. Between 1933 and 1936 even the Rietveld-Schröder House was used as a Montessori school.

This episode is also included in Steve Lawrence and Benjamin Staehli’s book „Montessori Architecture. A Design Instrument for Schools“ recently published by @park_books But aside from a brief excursion into the history of Montessori education and architecture the book first and foremost contains a collection of patterns and projects identified by the authors. In the patterns section Lawrence and Staehli introduce 28 of them, each of them subdivided into „idea“, „assignment“ as well as 7 levels which reproduce the design process from large to small, i.e. for example space allocation or materials, lighting or furniture. Since Montessori education is targeted at encouraging the natural interests of children and helping them follow their innate path of psychological development aspects like the absence of doors or the use of the floor for education and play are integral while others are of a more optional nature. 

In general the authors underscore the transculturality of their design instruments, a characteristic that also shows in the „repertoire“ section which collects several international examples of Montessori architecture, each of them comprehensively illustrated and supplemented with plans, sections and perspectives.

Two of my main goals with this project were reconnecting with the largely unused site, and creating more usable space to be shared between students and community members alike. Every space holds some educational value - even outdoors - from culinary arts to natural sciences to mechanical skills. At the same time, it serves the community's economic and entrepreneurship needs with the maker space, restaurant, and pop up shop. And every space has a clear view of the grounds, if not direct access. 

Raleigh Campsite in Guizhou - Architectural Design Institute of South China University of Technology