Nurturing through design!

Compiled by Team IAnD

Photography: Lesley Unruh; courtesy v2com

Read Time: 2 mins 

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Brooklyn’s Maple Street preschool is designed by the concepts that embody the institute, in a fitting example of system integration strategies as generative tools in design…

A collaborative effort by Barker Freeman Design Office (BFDO) architects and boutique design and architecture studio, 4|MATIV, the Maple Street School, located in the rapidly changing neighbourhood of Prospect Lefferts Gardens, in Brooklyn, has a design program that fits its spatial and curricular needs, focusing on open and flexible spaces with elements that promote its educational philosophy.

 

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The preschool sees itself as an extension of home, where cooperation and involvement are emphasized, where each child is nurtured in a warm and caring atmosphere, and where curiosity and play are central to learning. These concepts shaped the design process and its outcome, as the designers looked for highly functional solutions to meet their needs.

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The core of the floor plan lies on four interconnected main areas: a multipurpose room and three classrooms. The school’s practice of scheduling “cafe” time, daily group gatherings centred on snacks and promoting healthy eating habits and social engagement, inspire the inclusion of a central and semi-open kitchen located in the multipurpose room. The flexible kitchen design has open and closed states, and is conceived to allow a variety of backdrops and graphics to cater to different kinds of activities, such as the setting of theme-inspired food trucks.

 

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Classrooms are connected through large pairs of pocket doors with playful openings, allowing interaction between classrooms and among children and staff. These large doors provide flexibility for larger school events. Shared semi-open bathrooms are treated as focal points and function as connecting elements, while providing the required visibility for staff members. Large trough-like play sinks run between classrooms and bathrooms, and become a key feature in promoting learning through water play and interaction.

 

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A warm and light palette of maple wood and white walls runs throughout all spaces. The simplicity allows surfaces to act as backdrops for all the hands-on artwork that children create, which is contrasted with accents of colour, either through the soft pastel tiled bathrooms, or bright-coloured edges at the pocket-door openings. Among these accents is also a maple peg wall located at the school’s entry area. Its fun and colourful pegs help entertain the children and ease the daily transition into school.

 

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An outdoor recreation area on the building’s rooftop currently carries a colourful rubber tile pattern with a large pixelated graphic of islands. The space is framed by a combination of warm cedar fencing and a patchwork of perforated aluminium screening. Planned additions to this space are an outdoor classroom with a green wall to expose children to nature and plants, as well as a play structure.

 

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Maple Street School is a recipient of an AIANY 2017 Design Merit Award and an AIABQDA 2017 Design Merit Award.