WALDORF ELEMENTARY

Objective: Establish commons to address tension between the communities of Wooldawn and the University of Chicago

Project Date: Spring 2022

Instructo r: Jaya Mukhopadhyay

The Waldorf educational philosophy centers around holistic learning within a natural context. With this, integration of nature into learning and playing spaces becomes the guiding principal of the project, with indoor-outdoor classrooms anchoring themselves to the adjacent Bozeman creek. A large central atrium establishes a centralized circulation and play space with year long growing to provide access to nature throughout the long Montana winters. An extensive greenroof provides additional learning and performative spaces. The greenroof cuts through the atrium at a series of points, weaving the growing platform into the interior. Access to natural light is provided in the entirety of the building, with clerestory windows lighting the space while blocking unfavorable views into an alley and a busy street.

Initial study models center around a variety of daylighting strategies, programatically orienting the entire building along Bozeman creek. Further studies expand on the initially small greenroof, wrapping it around the entire building. The roof of the atrium was altered to fluctuate between maximizing southern and northern light depending on programmatic needs, and was stepped down to divide the atrium space into three distinct programs.

Pine Tree Pavilion

Objective: Revitalize Soroptomist Park in downtown Bozeman, using biomimicry inspired by the massive on-site pine trees

Project Date: Spring 2022

Instructo r: Jaya Mukhopadhyay

Located in the heart of Bozeman’s historic downtown district, Soroptomist park is a currently neglected and underutilized green space. With city planning intending it to be “the heart of Downtown Bozeman”, the project centers around diagnosing the sources of the parks underutilization and communicating the “Bozeman identity” to visitors.

The site is currently dominated by the imposing American Legion building directly to its west, with the remainder of the site being uncomfortably exposed to the tumultuous roads to its north and east. To counter this, perforated aluminium panels with patterns of Bozeman landmarks were placed around the site to provide a semi-permiable enclousre. Lights were placed inside these panels to project the patterns of the panels onto the streets surrounding the site, establishing the area as a beacon for nighttime activities.

Compolation of Project Drawings

The pavilion itself was placed east as a reciprocal to the height of the Americal Legion building, and uses a series of stacked metal panels perforated with pine needle-like paterning to mimic the canopy of a pine tree, the most prevalent species of tree in Bozeman.

The stacked panels act as a dappled light shadign structure, providing semi-enclosure that allows for optimal thermal comfort within the seating area. The panels themselves splay outwards to mimic leaves hanging from the trunk of a tree. The pavilion centers around a stage, providing an outdoor performacne space in the heart of Downtown Bozeman.