Against the Grain

A Learning Experience

Mitchell Brown

Forget the holiday season. For many parents and caregivers, the start of the school year is actually the “most wonderful time of the year.” And while students might be glum about the prospect of sitting inside after a summer spent in the fresh air, a few innovative schools are finding interesting ways to bring the outdoors and indoors together.

In Idaho, A.B. McDonald Elementary has long advocated for outdoor learning and allows students to use the green space surrounding the school for educational activities. The school’s earlier outdoor seating was removed in 2018 for safety reasons. During the pandemic, the K–5 school recognized the need to rebuild an outdoor space that would allow students to socially distance and safely enjoy the benefits of the outdoors while giving the teachers the structure needed to guide a class.

Forests and the great outdoors are a part of life in British Columbia, a reality reflected in the Castlegar & District Community Complex Child Care Centre. The colorful face of the building provides a playful and distinguishing feature to welcome children and their families. The brightly stained cedar shingles, with a color palette inspired by the surrounding buildings and trees, contrast with the clear-coat finish on the CLT canopy and glulam supports.

Further to the west, Vancouver Island’s Kwakiutl Wagalus School serves K–7 students in the rural community of Port Hardy. The use of wood in buildings is an integral part of the heritage and culture of the Kwakiutl First Nation, who reside at the northern tip of Vancouver Island. The Kwakiutl people consider Western red cedar to be the tree of life, so it was only fitting that their new school feature this species from local forests.

Over in Denmark, the House of Nature is a school building designed to accommodate the teaching of nature and outdoor life at the Silkeborg Folk High School. The building itself was conceived as a lesson in sustainable construction. The timber structure, acacia shingle cladding, Douglas fir interiors, and wood fiber insulation are all part of a strategy to design a building that incorporates wood as much as possible—creating a connection to the surrounding forest.

1. A.B. McDonald Elementary

Outdoor Classroom

PHOTO: LaRae Tomera

2. Castlegar & District Community

Complex Child Care Centre

PHOTO: Matt Bolt 3. Kwakiutl Wagalus School PHOTO: Peter Powles

4. House of Nature

PHOTO: Anders Rajendiram 1

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