La | Scuola | di | Montessori
montessori | school 500 east | south temple salt lake city | utah university | of | utah huntsman | design | group | 2009
La Scuola di Montessori Montessori School 500 East & South Temple Salt Lake City, Utah Design Proposal Chris Huntsman Huntsman Design Group American Fork, Utah May 6, 2009 Professor Marco Bagnasacco College of Architecture & Planning University of Utah
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university |of | utah college | of | architecture design | studio | 2009
table | of | contents proposal | title | sheet
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letter | of | transmittal
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forward
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maria | montessori
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montessori | essay
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500 | east | south | temple site | impressions
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site | documentation
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precedent | studies
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program | conceptualization
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form | iterations
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final | schematic | design
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floor | plans
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summary
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annotated | biography
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letter | of | transmittal Professor Marco Bagnasacco University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah Chris Huntsman Huntsman | Design | Group American Fork, Utah May 6, 2009 Professor Bagnasacco, It is my privilege to present you with this Design Proposal for the La Scuola di Montessori to be constructed in downtown Salt Lake City. This school will provide a much needed alternative educational method that is ideal for its location on historic South Temple. Along with education for Salt Lake’s children, this school provides the community with a great building where we can learn and strengthen each other’s culture. The design of the La Scuola di Montessori brings the values and methodology taught by Maria Montessori. Children need an environment that caters to their own cognitive development and educational pace. This school becomes a didactic material for children to touch, see, smell, hear and explore. The school itself becomes a ‘silent observer’ and teacher during a child’s education. This location on South Temple provides a great threshold where the community can interact with the children and the children and interact and learn from the local community. Downtown Salt Lake City offers a rich knowledge of today’s technology and South Temple holds a beautiful cultural history for the children’s education. Thank you for this honor of designing a permanent face for South Temple that will respect its history and strengthen its cultural diversity. Sincerely, Chris Huntsman
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Forward How often do we hear about a parent comparing their child’s achievements to those of another child? Is this fair? Should we be basing when the right time for our child to walk, crawl, or talk by when someone else’s child walked, crawled or talked? No. Each child had their individual strengths, needs, likes and learning styles. In traditional education one might expect a teacher to say, “OK. Today is the fifth of October, in second grade, so open your math books to page 5 for times tables..”. This ridged schedule goes against our individual learning style. We should observer the student and ask ourselves, “what does this child understand? What is the next concept or principle this child needs to learn? How does this child learn? Is this child an observer? A talker? Is this child someone who needs to physically experience the concept? What are some things that interest this child so that I can use his/her natural interests and abilities to teach this concept that they need to know? The Montessori method recognizes that each child goes through numerous sensitive periods of development (periods of a few months or even weeks), in which a child’s mind is open to learning specific skill or knowledge such as crawling, sitting, walking, talking, reading, counting, and other various social interactions. Learning any of these skills outside of this window of development is possible but normally proves to be difficult and frustrating. The purpose and function of the La Scuola di Montessori is to allow children to learn at their own pace. The school acts as an observer and teacher providing children with educational tools when the timing is right. This school is promotes hands-on learning by offering children to touch, see, hear, taste, smell and explore their world. The La Scuola di Montessori acts as a catalyst for children’s desire to learn. It creates an environment of exploration and discovery.
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“It is almost possible to say that there is a mathematical relationship between the beauty of his surroundings and the activity of the child; he will make discoveries rather more voluntarily in a gracious setting than in an ugly one.� -Maria Montessori
maria | montessori Who is Maria Montessori? Maria Montessori (1870 - 1952) was an Italian physician, educator, philosopher, humanitarian and devout Catholic; she is best known for her philosophy and the Montessori method of education of children from birth to adolescence. Her educational method is in use today in a number of public as well as private schools throughout the world. Montessori was the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome La Sapienza Medical School, becoming the first female doctor in Italy.
What is a Montessori School? A Montessori School is a child-centered educational method based on the principles of an Italian educator, Maria Montessori. The principal methods in a Montessori school emphasize several important beliefs. The first is that children have the capacity to direct their own learning. Second, children do not learn in the same manner as do adults, and not all children have the same learning methods. Lastly the child determines the educational pace. The Montessori school focuses much on hands on approaches to learning. Children should be allowed to interact, as much as possible, with all five senses in learning approaches.
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montessori | essay “From the moment the child enters the classroom, each step in his education is seen as a progressive building block, ultimately forming the whole person, in the emergence from childhood to adult. All focus is on the needs of the child.� -Elizabeth G. Hainstock Montessori is a highly hands-on approach to learning. It encourages children to develop their observation skills by doing many types of activities. These activities include use of the five senses, kinetic movement, spatial refinement, small and large motor skill coordination, and concrete knowledge that leads to later abstraction. A Montessori classroom provides an atmosphere where children can learn at their own pace and interact with others in a natural peaceful environment. It would be ideal to allow the children to have unlimited access to the outdoors and their community.
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In the Montessori Methodology, students are allowed to direct their own educational pace. They are allowed to choose from appropriate materials in well stocked and organized classroom. In the Montessori curriculum there are six overall areas: Practical Life, Science, Math, Language, Cultural, and Sensorial. Montessori schools ideally adhere to the three-year age range of pupils to encourage an interactive social and learning environment. This system allows flexibility in learning pace and allowing older children to become teachers by sharing what they have learned.
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500 east | south temple 15 12 7
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The Site Piccadilly Apartments Dental Plaza Assisted Living Backer’s Bakery MHTN Office Building
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Ritz Apartments Felt-Buchorn Bridal Zion’s Bank Einstein Bros. Bagel The Wild Grape Pagoda Restaurant
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South Parking Garage Apartment Building Private Residence Office Building
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site | impressions “I believe that the architect must lead a double life. On one hand is a taste for exploration, for being on the edge, an unwillingness to accept things for what they appear to be: a disobedient, transgressive, even rather insolent approach. On the other is a genuine, and not formal, gratitude to history and nature: the two contexts in which architecture has his roots.� -Renzo Piano
Situated on Salt Lake City’s most historical street, South Temple, this site offers an abundance of historical references and cultural diversity. The proposed site is a threshold between downtown Salt Lake City and the neighborhoods of the Avenues offering both urban and rural experiences. This context is ideal for La Scuola di Montessori presenting both modern technology and knowledge from downtown life and the rich history and culture from the Avenues. Modern and historic buildings run along both sides of South Temple showing how rural and urban can mesh as one to create a harmonious environment. The tall trees lining South Temple echo this harmony as they stand as sentinels from the foundation of Salt Lake City. Both the natural and built environment create an undeniable force of horizontality running from the mountains in the West to the entrance of downtown Salt Lake City in the East.
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On the corner of 500 East and South Temple two sets of traffic lights interrupt the continuous flow of vehicular traffic allowing pedestrians to cross the street on their way to and from downtown Salt Lake City. The commotion created by the flow of cars and people moving to and from downtown contradicts the stillness and permanence of the trees and buildings along South Temple. The educational method presented by Maria Montessori fits perfectly into the context of the site. The students would be able to interact with the community and would be able to use the natural and historical environment of South Temple as a learning aid.
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site | impressions Hands-on learning is vital to the Montessori method. Students learn the alphabet by tracing their fingers over wood cut-out letters covered with fine sandpaper. By using more than one sense, students are able to learn their alphabet quickly. Maria Montessori believed and taught that children learn best when they can touch, see, hear, taste, and smell their subjects. It is integral to the La Scuola di Montessori that the community be welcome into the school and the children journey into the community for learning experiences. The site offers connections to the natural environment where students can interact with nature by placing it in their hands. The La Scuola di Montessori would have easy access to the outdoors allowing students to touch, hear, see, smell and taste their environment. Direct access to the natural environment and the surrounding community will enhance students’ learning about history, nature, and culture.
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site | documentation
Site | Access
Maximum | Building | Height
The La Scuola di Montessori on South Temple will be restricted in maximum building height. The building can be 45’-0� tall or three stories, whatever comes first. The building height would mirror the heights of existing buildings found around the site.
Pedestrian
Bus Routes
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There are several UTA bus stops near the La Scuola di Montessori providing an economical and sustainable arrival to the site.
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Setbacks | Allowable | Area
Security
Security is a major issue for both the students and their parents. Administration, classrooms and circulation will be arranged in a way to increase visibility. The entrance will be situated in such a way to monitor who comes and goes from the site.
The historic street of South Temple has many regulations for new construction. Some major ones that will affect the design of the La Scuola di Montessori are: 25% of the building’s facade be setback at least 15’, the allowable building area can cover the whole site with respect to the required parking.
Parking
The majority of the students for the Montessori school will be dropped off by their parents. Parking is crucial for parents to be able to communicate with teachers regarding the student’s progress. -11-
precedent | studies
Clearview | Elementary | School
The design of the Clearview Elementary School was created as an educational facility to protect children’s delicate health while teaching them how to protect their delicate environment. Clearview Elementary’s green initiatives are more than just energy efficient elements, they also open up new avenues for teaching. The school’s curved sunscreen acts as an acoustical backdrop for outdoor assemblies and presentation and offers shade to the school’s glass corridor located just behind the screen. This sunscreen also doubles as a teaching tool with a functional sundial which casts its shadow on the sunscreen providing children with hands-on learning opportunities. The La Scuola di Montessori will incorporate teaching opportunities throughout the school. The roof top exploration area will provide hands-on activities when children take care of its vegetation. The structure of the building will reveal itself periodically around the building allowing children to see and learn about architecture and structure. The architecture of the school will act as a teaching tool which the children can touch, see, hear, and smell.
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Sidwell | Friends | Middle | School
Montessori | Magnet | School
The design of the Montessori Magnet School is based on the principles and philosophy of Maria Montessori. Two stories of classrooms, designed as “houses for learning� are arrayed around an outdoor learning space. The La Scuola di Montessori will have easy and direct access to an interior garden space and a green roof top. This school’s larger assembly, art and music, and recreation spaces are located off the main entrance corridor, and are available for off-hours community use. The La Scuola di Montessori will have a community library that will be open to the public. Artists, Photographers and others will be invited to use the community space to display their work so that children will be able to see and learn about art and culture. The Sidwell Friends Middle School is designed to foster an ethic of social and environmental responsibility in each student, the facility demonstrates a responsible relationship between the natural and the built environment. The building is located within walking distance of a subway stop and several bus stops. A green roof and constructed wetland reduce stormwater runoff and reduce municipal water use. The building is situated on the site to take advantage of passive solar energy. The La Scuola di Montessori will be designed with sustainable aspects in mind. It will be situated on the site to take advantage of passive solar energy so children will have sunlight in their classrooms. Children will be able to learn about their environment from their school and how it is designed. -13-
program | conceptualization The La Scuola di Montessori has at its core education for children thus the educational spaces are the most important spaces in the school. The Montessori method desires children to have connections with their community and their community to have an active role in the children’s educational development. The main role players in a Montessori school are: Parents, Teachers, Children, and the Community. The spaces inside the La Scuola di Montessori need to be flexible allowing use by all the role players. The page on the left starts to illustrate the complex network of the role players and the spaces in the school.
classrooms
library educational auditorium outdoor classroom offices lobby
communal
classrooms culinary lab multimedia science lab art lab gymnasium
adminstation
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faculty lounge gathering prep space
Parents
Teachers
Students
Community
classrooms
library
auditorium outdoor classroom offices lobby
lobby classrooms
culinary lab multimedia science lab art lab
classrooms
gymnasium faculty lounge gathering prep space
gathering
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form | iterations
Conceptual | Model
The process of deriving a form for the La Scuola di Montessori involves iteration after iteration. Three distinct characteristics of the Montessori Method were used while exploring the form for the building, they were: Connection, Permeability, and Exploration. Connection was explored as a possible concept for the overall school form. The idea was to explore possibilities on how to connect the community with the school and the school with the community. Another layer for the connection concept was to create connections with the natural environment to allow the students access to the outdoors. Exploration as a concept derived from readings by Maria Montessori. She believes that children need to be at the head of their education. They have to take initiative and begin to explore their environments. As children explore their environments, they become excited by what they see and start to ask questions. The La Scuola di Montessori will spark children to ask questions about their community and natural environment. Permeability was another concept explored as the base for the form of the Montessori school. Permeability dealt with allowing the outside community and outdoors to penetrate into the school itself. By using Permeability as the main concept for the school, children would be able to interact with their community and outdoors wherever they are inside or around the school. Permeability seemed to embrace the other two concepts so it was the ideal concept to use while designing the form for the La Scuola di Montessori.
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final | schematic | design The La Scuola di Montessori has at its core the principles taught by Maria Montessori. Students are provided with easy access to nature by multiple means. The interior courtyard provides formal and informal gathering places for students and their teachers where they can hold lectures or experiments with nature as a backdrop. The roof top provides planters where each class can grow its own vegetable and plants for class. Also located on the roof top are several gathering areas were guest lecturers from the community can share knowledge with the children of the school. The first level classrooms are dedicated to younger children (ages 3-9). These classrooms are viewable from the administration offices which provides security by seeing who is coming and going from the school. Older students have their classrooms on the second level. Access to the roof top is provided on the second level where students have views into the interior courtyard and around the neighborhood. After hours, the community has a public entrance to the library where displays by local artists are encouraged. Along with the library being open to the public, community classes are held in the multimedia lab and culinary lab on the south side of the building. The classrooms are completely closed off from the public after hours for security reasons. Plays and events can be held in the auditorium in the South-West corner of the school. The La Scuola will have a lasting presence on South Temple, it provides students with an ideal environment for learning and provides the community with a great building for their enjoyment.
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floor | plans
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Roof | Plan
1-Lobby 2-Reception 3-Elevator 4-Administration 5-Classroom 6-Mechanical Room 7-Exit Stairs 8-Teacher’s Lounge 9-Library 10-Restroom 11-Media Lab 12-Lab 13-Kitchen 14-Storage 15-Auditorium 16-Interior Courtyard 17-Gathering Area
summary Children’s cognitive development is different than adult’s . There are times during a child’s development where certain things should be taught to them. The window of time for this cognitive development differs from one child to the next just as each child’s personalities differ from each other. There isn’t a set time when a child has to learn to crawl, walk, or talk, but each child has in them a certain time when they want to learn. When a child reaches this point, where they want to learn, someone or something should encourage them to discover and explore. The La Scuola di Montessori acts as a catalyst for children’s desire to learn. It creates an environment of exploration and discovery. It provides security and embodies a spirit of freedom for children. This Montessori School is a didactic material for children to see, touch, smell, hear, and explore.
West | Elevation North | Elevation East | Elevation
annotated | biography Merrit, Edwin T. Magnet and Specialized Schools of the Future. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Education, 2005. Print. This book provides guidelines for creating schools where change is happening. It deals with planning for the future for our children and thinking about the future and all of its complexities. This book goes into the design considerations and issues dealt with for the Montessori Magnet School at Hartford. It covers how the architects and designs were able to translate the educational method into a built form. It illustrates how to create a child-scaled environment which the designers, Smith Edwards Architects, were able to do in the Montessori Magnet School. Krause, Jan R. Fibre Cement. Basel, Switzerland: Publishers for Architecture, 2007. Print. In this book you will find examples of architecture from around the world that have incorporated the use of Fiber Cement as a building material. The La Scuola di Montessori is designed with this type of material as a skin for the communal areas and circulation corridors. An example of this material can be found on the Caltrans Office Building in Los Angeles, CA, USA. This book offers details on how the designs used Fiber Cement Panels in the construction of their buildings. This book also covers the history and culture of Fiber Cement since its invention in 1900. It explores numerous possibilities and a wide range of application for this material in construction. -22-
Montessori, Maria. The Montessori Method. Second Edition. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1912. Print. Maria Montessori introduces a scientific approach to pedagogy. She explains that children should be allowed as much freedom as possible and be provided with “didactic materials” to educate themselves. Children should be supervised by a directress whose primary task is to observe the children as “silent observers” and direct their efforts by explaining to them how various didactic materials are used. The basic premises of this book are: children have a natural desire to learn and one cn learn how to live in freedom only by being free. These premises are fully supported and detailed in this book. This book is the base of all the conceptual designs used for the La Scuola di Montessori.
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college | of | architecture spring | semester | 2009 architecture | 4011 | 6011 architectural | design | IV | IVG studio | professors marco | bagnasacco libby | haslem bill | miller anne | mooney ryan | smith