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Architecture
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| # 275 |
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| Completion |
2025 |
| Specific Use of Building |
Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten |
| Project Location |
San Bernardino |
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The new net-zero energy facility is located on the old agriculture program land for the nearby high school. The gift of open space and existing mature trees in a very dense part of the city became inspiration for the school as an urban oasis. Working collaboratively with SBCUSD, we identified 5 design strategies to support the education vision for the facility:
Enhance Learning By Providing Opportunities to Connect to Nature - The courtyard has a variety of active and passive gathering spaces that immerse students in nature. Outdoor play areas are designed with natural materials, and there’s a vegetable garden where children can learn about science and nature through growing their own food.
Support Independence By Considering Scale - The design integrates scaled elements to influence a sense of discovery for the primary occupants: children of 2-5 years of age. This includes millwork built-in features in the classrooms with nooks and alcoves to provide opportunities for exploration and refuge.
Offer Choices to Support Creativity and Independent Thinking - Classroom walls support different activities and provide children agency to engage. Writable surfaces and tackable materials are thoughtfully arranged for all children to participate, explore, or display their work. Additionally, the rainwater collection is left exposed, so children can see how it is funneled from the roof into the ground. Seeing a process like this can spark curiosity and bring awareness to an environment’s interaction with its ecology.
Create a Sensory-Rich Environment – At these early developmental stages, research points to the importance of engaging children’s senses, not only visually, but through acoustics, touch and smell. The project includes a pavilion nestled in landscape, with tiered seating. Nearby, a pollinator garden provides a variety of native flower fragrances. This can be a simple and effective learning tool as scent usually plays a crucial role in evoking memories.
Design With Flexibility - all classrooms account for kindergarten space requirements for maximum futureproofing as demand and demographics may change.
Community Environment:
An inclusive stakeholder engagement process facilitated the development of multipurpose spaces available to the surrounding community during after-school hours. These rooms are located at the front of the school with direct access from the entry plaza. The plaza itself is a feature that provides open space and shade. New sidewalks along the west edge of the site and increased sidewalk connections along the north including a new crosswalk provide safe pedestrian access to the school.
Physical Environment: The building responds to climatic conditions, protecting from the severe Santa ana winds on the north and opening to prevailing breezes on the south. An efficient program bar wraps around the edge of the site, creating a secure courtyard that provides all classrooms with direct outdoor learning spaces that are shaded and protected from the elements. An outdoor canopy connects across the site, undulating to frame trees and filter sunlight. The building’s exterior is wrapped in a varied wood rainscreen system, akin to the bark of a tree, allowing the preschool to reinforce the idea of an urban oasis. |
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