The first WeGrow school in New York City, created from a collaboration between BIG and WeWork, is a 10,000-sf space for children between the ages of three and nine located in WeWork’s HQ in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.
The school was designed “for learning to be a transformational and holistic experience,” according it BIG. It features a field of super-elliptic objects with a variety of functions that allows children to move freely throughout the day and to learn from the environment around them. The school includes four classrooms, flexible workshops, community space, a multi-purpose studio, an art studio, a music room, and a variety of playscapes.
Image by Dave Burk.
See Also: The Alphabet of Light: A to Z from BIG
The majority of the partitions inside the school are shelves raised to the level of the child in order to allow natural light to reach deep into the building. The different shelving levels for each age group curve occasionally to create activity pockets while still allowing the teachers to have full perspective of the space. Overhead, acoustic clouds are illuminated with Ketra bulbs that shift in color and intensity based on the time of day.
Image by Laurian Ghinitoiu.
Learning stations feature details and materials designed to optimize the environment: modular classrooms promote movement and collaboration, puzzle tables and chairs manufactured by Bednark Studio come in kid and parent sizes to offer equal perspectives, and the vertical garden with tiles made in Switzerland by Laufen are planted with lavender, sweet violets, and chocolate mint among others. BIG’s Gople Lamp and Alphabet of Light illuminate the path from the lobby (shared by teachers, parents, and children) to the classrooms.
Image by Laurian Ghinitoiu.
Image by Dave Burk.
Related Stories
School Construction | Oct 31, 2022
Claremont McKenna College science center will foster integrated disciplinary research
The design of the Robert Day Sciences Center at Claremont McKenna College will support “a powerful, multi-disciplinary, computational approach to the grand socio-scientific challenges and opportunities of our time—gene, brain, and climate,” says Hiram E. Chodosh, college president.
University Buildings | Oct 27, 2022
The Collaboratory Building will expand the University of Florida’s School of Design, Construction, and Planning
Design firm Brooks + Scarpa recently broke ground on a new addition to the University of Florida’s School of Design, Construction, and Planning (DCP).
Higher Education | Oct 24, 2022
Wellesley College science complex modernizes facility while preserving architectural heritage
A recently completed expansion and renovation of Wellesley College’s science complex yielded a modernized structure for 21st century STEM education while preserving important historical features.
BAS and Security | Oct 19, 2022
The biggest cybersecurity threats in commercial real estate, and how to mitigate them
Coleman Wolf, Senior Security Systems Consultant with global engineering firm ESD, outlines the top-three cybersecurity threats to commercial and institutional building owners and property managers, and offers advice on how to deter and defend against hackers.
Education Facilities | Oct 13, 2022
A 44-acre campus serves as a professional retreat for public-school educators in Texas
A first-of-its-kind facility for public schools in Texas, the Holdsworth Center serves as a retreat for public educators, supporting reflection and dialogue.
K-12 Schools | Sep 21, 2022
Architecture that invites everyone to dance
If “diversity” is being invited to the party in education facilities, “inclusivity” is being asked to dance, writes Emily Pierson-Brown, People Culture Manager with Perkins Eastman.
| Sep 14, 2022
Indian tribe’s new educational campus supports culturally appropriate education
The Kenaitze Indian Tribe recently opened the Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus (Kenai River People’s Learning Place), a new education center in Kenai, Alaska.
Architects | Sep 12, 2022
FWA Group joins national architecture, interior design, and planning firm Hord Coplan Macht
Hord Coplan Macht acquires FWA Group.
| Sep 7, 2022
K-8 school will help students learn by conducting expeditions in their own communities
In August, SHP, an architecture, design, and engineering firm, broke ground on the new Peck Expeditionary Learning School in Greensboro, N.C. Guilford County Schools, one of the country’s 50 largest school districts, tapped SHP based on its track record of educational design.
Giants 400 | Sep 1, 2022
Top 100 K-12 School Contractors and CM Firms for 2022
Gilbane, Core Construction, Skanska, and Balfour Beatty head the ranking of the nation's largest K-12 school sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
