Learning Landscape

A high school on an NYC block offers a free space for the modern learner.

Over centuries and across cultures, the Western school building has transformed in form and presence.  Classical styles of Greek institutionalized education evolved to reflect mid-century aesthetics of industrialized knowledge factories and finally, into the hard architecture of the protective bunker.  In response to this evolving lineage, the 21st-century school is reimagined for New York City as an active city block, at once grounded in the urban realm and elevated above a public park to shelter a space for educational discovery.

The unprogrammed, self-regulated space of the typical high school hallway expands into an architectural landscape of open classrooms, conversation pits, and other playful forms to be occupied by the curious adolescent - together, forming active grounds for discussion, experimentation, and unconventional learning.