to the project. In the end, the school has proven to the Sunset District and to themselves that they are an asset worth keeping in the greater community, which designers helped them express in a built form. When asked about the importance of pro bono work, one designer responded: “Everyone says it’s to give back and all of those sorts of things…its fine, that’s a point of view. But I actually don’t think that’s the real reason to do pro bono work. I think it’s really to learn. And I think it’s to be inspired. And I think it’s to learn life lessons. We’re involved in economic transactions all the time, but if you and I enter into a relationship, it’s because we can learn from you.” McCall Design Group, a firm that primarily designs retail spaces, had never worked on a school before—and now they’ve designed two. They also maintained a relationship with the sustainability consultant on Sunset Nursery, Interface Engineering, to help design the second school. One of the designers even said that he was going to have the general contractor rebuild his house, because the construction experience was so positive. The same designer stated that working with the planning department was fun and he felt that they were trying to help facilitate the process, because it was a project with a community oriented cooperative. The mere nature and content of the Sunset Nursery project saved both McCall Design and the school precious time in the process.
Interior view towards kitchen.
Though the process and built product of Sunset Nursery has been highly successful, no project is perfect. Just as Lella Gandini states that Reggio Emilia schools should not be “looked at as a model to be copied in other countries; rather their work should be considered as an educational experience that consists of reflection, practice, and further careful reflection,” the process for rebuilding of Sunset Interior view of school with no lights on. 102