Carpet is used within the classrooms to denote open seating and play space. Throughout the building, hard flooring indicates areas for furniture and circulation. As a durable material, concrete can stand up to decades of student processions and horseplay, with reduced maintenance. Independent and self-guided learning is a major tenet of the method, and the architecture should encourage and inspire this, making the flooring choices a fundamental part of the design.Ĭoncrete anchors the majority of the space, hearkening back to the exterior concrete construction method through a polished concrete floor topper. The muted color palette creates a neutral, peaceful setting for the energetic Montessori program. The interior palette aligns with the Montessori belief in authentic materials and restrained, undistracting colors, which also help to refract light and brighten the space. Thanks to the innovative system of sunshades and light shelves, each classroom was provided a very large window, lending expansive views into the surrounding neighborhood or the school’s outdoor play areas, while also maintaining the required privacy. Modern security concerns created the need for intense discussion regarding the balance between providing natural light into the spaces and maintaining a sense of openness while blocking direct sightlines from the neighborhood into student areas. The design invokes a language of transparency that is surprising for such a large, seemingly solid, building. (The monumental staircase, which leads students up to their classrooms, also serves as auditorium seating for presentations.) Ensuring that every habitable room gets natural light, classrooms within the atrium have skylights, and each of the building’s 21 total classrooms looks out onto the hallway, lit with clerestory windows and natural light spilling over from the exterior-windowed rooms along one side of the hall. The two stories of classrooms and common spaces surround an atrium with cascading wood tiers that connect the two levels. The building plan is a disciplined, efficient square that minimizes costly exterior walls while maximizing access to plentiful daylight, employing clerestory roof windows that fill the interior of the building with natural light. It was important that, in every room, the children be able to see the sky and have a connection to the outdoors. In addition to adding interest to the façade, the second-story sunshades offer privacy, while also reducing glare and heat gain. The sunshades serve as the main focal points, drawing one’s eye with their almost-stark, post-war modern aesthetic, though they purposely prevent the eye from traveling too far. The wayfinding orange accent color of the railings, entry portal and stairways stands out against the soft palette, guiding students and visitors into and through the building. It is clad in subdued brick and limestone, with colorful metal accents and futuristic sunshades. The new school recalls the old in form and scale. Initially, the design team labored to preserve the former structure, but it was ultimately decided that a new building served the Montessori objectives better. The school replaces a grammar school from the early 20th century, which was beloved by the neighborhood. Designed to meet the specific requirements for education in the Montessori method, the 51,358-square-foot building features a streamlined color and materials palette, large classrooms with designated learning areas, and a connection to the natural world from every room. The Montessori Elementary School at Highland Park is housed in a new, state-of-the-art facility that expands the Young Women’s Leadership Foundation’s mission of educating at-risk youth. While the facade and interior spaces may seem simplistic, they were guided by very purposeful choices, which netted design firm HK Architects (formerly Hefferlin + Kronenberg Architects) an AIA Design Award of Merit. Natural materials and an uncluttered aesthetic hint at the student-driven experience that is a hallmark of Montessori’s exploratory approach to learning. The design of the new Montessori school in Chattanooga, Tennessee reflects the tenets of the education method employed within. Montessori school’s design mirrors the principles of the education method through a focus on natural materials.
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