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TORUS EDUCATION
CRITIC: MATHEW LOPEZ DESIGN STUDIO 1 FALL 2021
As time goes on, as the human experience changes through history, so should its pedagogy. This is especially true for the early years of education, such as kindergarten. This project proposes a set of six principal classes for a kindergarten education in the 21st century: construction blocks, digital interfacing, nature and environment, independent study, cultural understanding, and language.
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This project houses these six core classes in a subterranean torus, which wraps around a central courtyard. On the surface, the project is covered by a folded mesh canopy. Another folded surface reaches down into the courtyard to create the main entrance. On its bottom most level, the courtyard also acts as a central play area for the children. This courtyard is surrounded by a ring of circulation, which is then surrounded by a ring of classes and communal spaces. Glass walls are used extensively throughout the project to let in as much natural light as possible through the courtyard. Large skylights puncture through the ground into the classrooms to help in this endeavor.
Above: Parti field, object, vector diagrams
Below: Physical parti model
Below: Underground Floor Plan
