Lamia Albunni & Maria Berger / School on the Hill

SCHOOL ON THE HILL

Montessori Elementary School & Urban Wildlife and Research Center

Lamia Albunni & Maria Berger

The School on the Hill is an interactive K-5 school run by a wildlife research center with an emphasis on STEM education through a nature-based and Montessori style approach. The school aims to educate young children ages five to eleven about environmental sustainability and conservation in the Hamilton region. This center is part of an ongoing effort to manage and protect valuable natural resources in the Ohio River Valley while improving the quality of life for its citizens.

Children who attend the K–5 program will not only meet Ohio Learning standards but will engage in experiential learning and creative discovery. The curriculum will be inquiry-based and studentdriven. The inherent wonder, complexity, and beauty of the natural world will serve as a catalyst for each child’s growth and development.

Children will “learn by doing” through child-initiated play and active hands-on exploration of their environment where they gather information, pursue new questions, and construct their own theories of how the world works.

The research center and school’s facilities will integrate in a way that will foster student’s growth. The researchers - with the assistance of teachers - will become creative facilitators and mentors who model an ethic of respect and love for sustainability and the environment.

In addition to teaching, the research center houses a number of facilities, exhibitions, and libraries for the researchers and visitors who enjoy the outdoor life. The center frames the urban wildlife of Mount Adams and is designed as a state-of-the-art building aimed for sustainable activities that helps convey the captivating natural and cultural history of the Hamilton region.

The building grows out from the terrain and blooms at the canopy level to provide a panoramic view of the scenic surroundings. The building design thus provides an inspiring activity spot for the many aspects of outdoor life by interacting with the surrounding landscape and reinforcing the relation between indoors and outdoors. There are a wide range of indoor and outdoor recreational activities within the various facilities, which include museums and shops.

SITE AN

NALYSIS

RESERVOIR

MOVING GROUND ACTIVE SHALLOW-SEATED LANDSLIDING

RS POTENTIALLY UNSTABLE GROUND

POTENTIAL FOR DEEP-SEATED LANDSLIDING

THE O H I O RI VE R

PRONE TO LANDSLIDES

MIRROR LAKE

E D E N PA RK

F RI E N D S H I P PA RK

WA L NU T H I L LS

TWIN LAKES

COLUMBIA PARKWAY

RIVERSIDE DRIVE

THE O H I O RI VE R

DISCONNECT

DESIGN P

PROPOSAL

EXTEND & LINK

SUSPEND

STABILIZE

2 3

4

5

1

6

7

1

EDEN PARK OVERLOOK

2

ENTRANCE

3

SPENCER OVERLOOK

4

KROHN CONSERVATORY

5

TRAIN TRACKS

6

GONDOLA

7

TRAIN STATION

SECTION AA

PROGRA

AMMING

EDUCATE

RESEA

ARCH

VISIT

VISIT RESEARCH EDUCATE

VISIT RESEARCH EDUCATE

SECTION AA

KROHN CONSERVATORY

SCHOOL DROP-OFF

PARK STATION

DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI

SPENCER OVERLO

OOK ENTRANCE

EDEN PARK OVERLOOK

SCHOOL DROP-OFF

SCHOOL DROP-OFF CINNCINNATI BARGE & TRAIN STATION

PENDLETON & HYDE PARK ENTRANCE

MASTERPLAN

SCHOOL CURRICUL

LUM & LANDSCAPE

GARDEN FOREST SHRUBLAND WETLANDS

ARCHITECTUR

RAL ANALYSIS

The architecture is growing from the landscape an continuous, suspe

nd blooming at the canopy level that forms one ended walkway

EDUCATE - WEST CAMPUS

CEILING PLAN

EDUCATE - EAST CAMPUS

CEILING PLAN

VISIT - MUSEUM

CEILING PLAN

RESEARCH - LABS & LIBRARY

CEILING PLAN

RESEARCH - LIBRARY

CEILING PLAN

*interval sections every 10 feet from the X and Y axis.

X-RAY AXONOMETRIC ANALYSIS

SECTION BB

ARCHITECTU

URAL MODELS