Design is exciting but what all goes into it? Research is the key! For the few of us who are new this semester we had to get an understanding of how the school operated. The premise behind a Montessori school means lots of hands-on learning activities. Taking that into account we were tasked with designing what would work best for young children to interact with a space while outside tending to their garden. We sketched out a few ideas playing around with maximizing storage while giving them a space that is fun.

While on the site we took measurements, sketched out important markers and surveyed the landscape to understand the site in depth. Once we were able to see the scale of the site, we were able to compare our sketches from before and after seeing the site, adjusting biased off important information we gathered while visiting Edith. Frierson Elementary.

One of the nice things about this being in a community build project is that we have so many past projects where can find inspiration from. One of the projects we looked at in more depth was the Medway Community Garden Pavilion. From there we were able to see storage solutions that serviced locals and took page from that design project into our own.

As the iterations continue, our goal is that we will be able to optimize the space while making it engaging for these amazing children!  Keep an eye out for the next update!