What freedoms can the school afford that the city does not? From the perspective of a child, New York City can feel like a world of soft boundaries. From public limitations of play to prescribed activities in schools, there exists a lack of discovery for the child. This school is designed to reflect the Steiner Educational Philosophy, giving each child the freedom in how and what they want to learn. Extending the city into the school, this project proposes two buildings opposite each other creating an interior courtyard and establishing a relationship with the urban condition. One is a lower experiential learning environment designed for grades K-2, and the other is a larger building for public programming and grades 3-8. It is environments that act as a place of affordance rather than prescription. It is a safe haven for exploration and freedom of choice that contributes to a child’s lifelong relationship with learning.
