SCHOOL ON THE HILL
Montessori Elementary School & Urban Wildlife and Research Center
Lamia Albunni & Maria Berger
The School on the Hill is an interactive K-5 school run by a wildlife research center with an emphasis on STEM education through a nature-based and Montessori style approach. The school aims to educate young children ages five to eleven about environmental sustainability and conservation in the Hamilton region. This center is part of an ongoing effort to manage and protect valuable natural resources in the Ohio River Valley while improving the quality of life for its citizens. Children who attend the K–5 program will not only meet Ohio Learning standards but will engage in experiential learning and creative discovery. The curriculum will be inquiry-based and studentdriven. The inherent wonder, complexity, and beauty of the natural world will serve as a catalyst for each child’s growth and development. Children will “learn by doing” through child-initiated play and active hands-on exploration of their environment where they gather information, pursue new questions, and construct their own theories of how the world works.
The research center and school’s facilities will integrate in a way that will foster student’s growth. The researchers - with the assistance of teachers - will become creative facilitators and mentors who model an ethic of respect and love for sustainability and the environment. In addition to teaching, the research center houses a number of facilities, exhibitions, and libraries for the researchers and visitors who enjoy the outdoor life. The center frames the urban wildlife of Mount Adams and is designed as a state-of-the-art building aimed for sustainable activities that helps convey the captivating natural and cultural history of the Hamilton region. The building grows out from the terrain and blooms at the canopy level to provide a panoramic view of the scenic surroundings. The building design thus provides an inspiring activity spot for the many aspects of outdoor life by interacting with the surrounding landscape and reinforcing the relation between indoors and outdoors. There are a wide range of indoor and outdoor recreational activities within the various facilities, which include museums and shops.
SITE AN
NALYSIS
RESERVOIR
MOVING GROUND ACTIVE SHALLOW-SEATED LANDSLIDING
RS POTENTIALLY UNSTABLE GROUND
POTENTIAL FOR DEEP-SEATED LANDSLIDING
THE O H I O RI VE R
PRONE TO LANDSLIDES
MIRROR LAKE
E D E N PA RK
F RI E N D S H I P PA RK
WA L NU T H I L LS
TWIN LAKES
COLUMBIA PARKWAY
RIVERSIDE DRIVE
THE O H I O RI VE R
DISCONNECT
DESIGN P
PROPOSAL
EXTEND & LINK
SUSPEND
STABILIZE
2 3
4
5
1
6
7
1
EDEN PARK OVERLOOK
2
ENTRANCE
3
SPENCER OVERLOOK
4
KROHN CONSERVATORY
5
TRAIN TRACKS
6
GONDOLA
7
TRAIN STATION
SECTION AA
PROGRA
AMMING
EDUCATE
RESEA
ARCH
VISIT
VISIT RESEARCH EDUCATE
VISIT RESEARCH EDUCATE
SECTION AA
KROHN CONSERVATORY
SCHOOL DROP-OFF
PARK STATION
DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI
SPENCER OVERLO
OOK ENTRANCE
EDEN PARK OVERLOOK
SCHOOL DROP-OFF
SCHOOL DROP-OFF CINNCINNATI BARGE & TRAIN STATION
PENDLETON & HYDE PARK ENTRANCE
MASTERPLAN
SCHOOL CURRICUL
LUM & LANDSCAPE
GARDEN FOREST SHRUBLAND WETLANDS
ARCHITECTUR
RAL ANALYSIS
The architecture is growing from the landscape an continuous, suspe
nd blooming at the canopy level that forms one ended walkway
EDUCATE - WEST CAMPUS
CEILING PLAN
EDUCATE - EAST CAMPUS
CEILING PLAN
VISIT - MUSEUM
CEILING PLAN
RESEARCH - LABS & LIBRARY
CEILING PLAN
RESEARCH - LIBRARY
CEILING PLAN
*interval sections every 10 feet from the X and Y axis.
X-RAY AXONOMETRIC ANALYSIS
SECTION BB
ARCHITECTU
URAL MODELS