Storyline...Our challenge - where it led us - and the surprising results
Our initial question and challenge was "how to create architecture that responded to the school's desire for a new building that was playful and magical - a creative elementary school environment that would inspire a sense of curiosity, discovery, sponaneity and a zest for learning in the students.

As the design evolved, our usual more rigid architectural methods of space organization and predictable circulation patterns started to relax. The organization became a more free-flowing and organic network which created a "chain of thought" kind of relationship between spaces, corridors and stairs with many opportunities for multiple connections. The phrase that emerged to describe the organization was "you can go from here to there by this way or that". The various connecting elements - stairs, ramps and walkways took on individual personalities - the mountain switchback stair, the shrinking feeling ramp and flying bridge.

Since completion, we have learned through observation that there is more going on in this school than just a colorful and fun place for children to learn. For elementary study, there are lessons about "the beginner's mind" related to perception, environmental reading, awareness and understanding - and to feelings of ownership.

There are also lessons applicable to the architecture of all human spaces. The qualities of playfulness, magic, whimsy and fun exhibited in the design are terms not usually discussed when describing architectural environments. The school, with its colorful light-filled free-flowing spaces, is a place of inspiration for the students and is also an uplifting environment for the teachers, staff and visitors. The design seems to have far reaching consequences beyond an elementary school learning environment which leads to the question - "is there a basic human psychological need of joy and playfulness in our environments that will uplift us and inspire creativity in our daily work and lives...and can architecture provide that basic need?

Project description, program - uniqueness
University Child Development School is a progressive independent elementary school located in Seattle. The school was formerly an experimental teaching facility for the school of education at the University of Washington but is now independent and not affiliated with the university. The school's progressive teaching methods involve an inquiry based learning system in which the students learn by doing with the teachers acting as mentors and coaches rather than lecturers. Classes are multi-age and students are nurtured individually according to their observed individual learning aptitudes - visual, aural, etc.

The project description called for a new 30,000 square foot addition to an existing 1920's vintage school facility. The addition provides classroom space to house the early elementary program (3 years through kindergarten age) plus common spaces for use by the entire school (3 years through 5th grade) - a library, multi-purpose room, technology/science, art, administration and an artist in residence. The personality of the school is one of intellectual curiosity, creativity, exploration, and nurturing. Art covers the walls, school years have themes that interconnect all subjects, 90% of the students are in the chess club, three year olds fax computer artwork to their parents, students learn insect species and then invent new "bug-types" modeled in clay and pipe cleaners, and on and on.. There is an attitude that anything is possible and that everything is connected. The new facility had to be an environment that promoted, enabled, enhanced and was modeled on the already creative workings of the school.

Conceptual thinking
First of all, the building is for the use of young students - the design had to respect their learning intellect and not be a condescending interpretation of what an adult thinks children need - it had to be real "stuff"- an intelligent and creative use of space, light, color, materials, shapes and elements. A range of conceptual ideas and objectives emerged.

Site use concepts were an important initial step. Designing on the steeply sloping site involved images of a hill-climb building - a three layered building that would function like a "hilltown" with access at different levels and a variety of paths up and down. Stairs and ramps would all contribute to the sense of mystery, exploratory and discovery.

The existing school was a formal historic brick building. It was decided that the new building should be sympathetic to the existing but should also aesthetically depart from the old with architectural elements that expressed the playful image that the school desired. From the outside, one can tell that something unique is happening at this school - that an attitude of inventiveness and creativity exists.

The building itself is to be an education - a place that exhibits lessons about both the built and the natural worlds by expressing construction techniques and environmental lessons through the use of rainwater runoff, natural light and breezes. We wanted spaces where students would be aware of the path of light throughout the day and observe the impact of light on surfaces and color. The initial inspiration for the interior space was the warehouse building that the early elementary program formerly occupied which was randomly open, spacious and allowed spontaneous things to happen - so we decided to "warp" the warehouse-type space to the shape that worked for our needs and intentions.

Methods/elements
The massing of the new building is composed of a series of three elements that step up the hill from the busy commercial street on the east to a quiet residential street on the west. The building elements that front each street are rectilinear brick blocks whose color, detailing and window proportions are sympathetic to the adjacent historic structure. The middle building element that links the brick blocks is the big "give-away". It is a bending, climbing, free-form "slinky" element that looks like it is climbing up the hill and intruding on and engaging the "regular" brick blocks. The "slinky" is clad in light green metal with large windows that contrast with the more staid brick building. The bending form creates an enclosing pocket space between the new and old buildings on the north and on the south, an attached "wing-like" element hovers over the playground. The outdoor "pocket" between the buildings contains for an informal performance place with a hillclimb garden and a wide stair that acts as stepped seating.

The "Seattle rain" is also part of the composition and playfulness of the school. When it rains, water freefalls from scuppers at the roof into a watercourse running down through the hillclimb garden. On the south playground side, water falls off the roof into an urn tank - flows down a rock watercourse - through a wall - falls eleven feet into another urn tank and then out into a drain. Students construct experimental dams and water driven objects in preparation for their "test by water" with the next rainstorm.

Even though the exterior of the building hints at the playful and creative nature of the school. It almost belies the experiential learning environment contained inside. The form of the three interconnected building elements creates a variety of loft-like interior spaces - high rectilinear ones and organic freeform ones. A broad palette of colors, including bright red and orange, defines the interior elements and spaces creating a village-like feeling and organization to the interior. There are no typical corridors in the building and one never feels confined in a room. The early elementary classrooms are all separated/linked by colorful animated walls with small child doors - each one different - the mouse hole pivot, the push you/pull me multi-panel, the rolling barn door, the dog door. Organizational clarity is also achieved by the apparent openness of the interior - the linked views, vistas, surprise glimpses and the play of natural light. The seemingly random interior is organized as linked spaces connected by short useable passages, stairs and walkways - each one becoming an individual experience that not only adds to the playfulness but also creates identifiable "markers" to aid orientation - similar to landmarks in a city. For instance, an operable glass ventilation chimney naturally illuminates the "lampshade" covered passage below which in-turn provides natural light to the surrounding rooms.

Stairs each have a broader purpose - besides vertical connections, they often provide places for seating and studying - plus they are an adventure - like the orange "switchback" stair with "colanders" framed into the rail walls for peek views, or the green "fish" stair in the library that is also a place to read, or the central stair that winds up through the skylit two story space with "swiss cheese" rails. Even the handicap ramps become bridges or a space that makes you feel like you are shrinking as you descend behind a wall that doesn't slope with you - "Alice in Wonderland". The second floor walkways are designed as bridges, piers and balconies. Thus, movement through the school is a constant changing surprise as you wind through and up and down encountering new elements at each turn in the path.

Lessons - universal applications
There are some surprising observations and lessons that have been learned with occupancy and a year of seeing how the students react to the building and use it. First of all, the children get it. Very quickly, they understand the organization and logic - where they are and how to get to where they want to go by a variety of routes. The parents are lost for weeks seemingly unable to mentally "connect the dots". There is something about the young "beginners mind" that has no preconceived idea of what something is supposed to be but instead understands it the way it is.

The students have taken ownership of the building as their school - not as an adult place to go to school. "The children assume that they own the building. It teaches them, I am the boss of my own education", says the school's early education director.

The playful child-size doors between classrooms are about empowerment for the students. The 3-6 year olds are encouraged to announce to their classmates any breakthrough in learning that they make (those ah-ha moments that we all have) and then to go by herself to each classroom by way of the various doggie and mouse hole connecting doors to share her new insight with classmates. One of the early elementary teachers says, "It's amazing to see the independence these kids have at this age. I think it's in part because of the space." C

Certainly the school's philosophy, programs, staff and attitudes are about open-minded thinking, observation, doing, and creativity. And in fact, the school does work as designed with students using all the spaces, stairs, ramps and watercourses as places for experimentation, gathering and quiet time.

In developing the design of the school, our feeling was that a stimulating, colorful, playful and rather whimsical environment was only appropriate for elementary school children. However, since completion, it is obvious that the uplifting and liberating environment of the school is appropriate for any built space that is to nurture and inspire human activity. Of course, there are degrees of intensity and appropriate features for each type of use but an office work place, for instance, would greatly benefit from social stairs, spaciousness, places of surprise and discovery, color, light and air, and an environment that entices people to be spontaneous, creative and empowered.

A recent similar example, although at the higher education level, is a new technology building at MIT, the Strata Center. The building is a playful jumble of shape, forms and elements - a village filled with light - spontaneous and unexpected. The building houses and trains some of the most innovative technical minds in the country. They too wanted a place to come to each day that inspired and uplifted them - a place for creative play, spontaneity, free-flowing thought and discovery of new ideas - those ah-ha moments.

I think we discovered something here.