UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
Date: 7-Apr-2010
I, Christopher S Jolley , hereby submit this original work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Architecture in Architecture (Master of) It is entitled: Waldorf Architecture: A Pedagogy's Relation to Design
Student Signature: Christopher S Jolley
This work and its defense approved by: Committee Chair: Aarati Kanekar, PhD Aarati Kanekar, PhD
George Bible, MCiv.Eng George Bible, MCiv.Eng
5/26/2010 702 Waldorf Architecture A Pedagogy’s Relation to Design
A Thesis Submitted to: Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati on 05/23/10 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Architecture in the School of Architecture and Interior Design of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning
Christopher Jolley B.S. Architecture, University of Cincinnati
Committee Chairs: Aarati Kanekar, Ph.D. George Thomas Bible, MCiv. Eng Abstract
How can school architecture respond to and support the pedagogy that takes place within it? The Waldorf philosophy is one of the fastest growing educational movements in the world and the schools are typically run as private institutions. There is no established architectural model for a Waldorf School in the United States that caters to the pedagogy. The pedagogy has strong convictions on how best to foster the student’s development and architecture can serve to strengthen that approach. This thesis investigates the philosophy of the Waldorf school to determine the implications it has on the built form. The pedagogy will be broken down into its main components to determine appropriate architectural responses to each. Studies of designed and built Waldorf schools, the Cincinnati Waldorf School, along with non-Waldorf schools will inform design decisions with the intent of creating a design that supports the functions of a Waldorf school and enhances the pedagogy. The design will utilize a site in Worthington, Ohio, a northern suburb of Columbus, as a model for how to design a Waldorf School influenced by the pedagogy. The pedagogy provides both direct and indirect architectural implications that can strengthen the design. The design will be represented in a series of drawings, a model, and through writing.
ii TableTable of Contents of Contents
Introduction iii Abstract i Abstract iv List of Illustrations iv 1 Ohio School History 2
Introduction viii 2 Waldorf Education Development 10 Rudolf Steiner 10 1 TheHistory First ofWaldorf Ohio School School Buildings 11 1 3 2 AspectsWaldorf of theEducation Pedagogy Development 13 8 head, heart,Introduction & hand 13 8 grade schoolRudolf Steinerteacher 14 9 classroom Steiner as ascommunity Architect 15 9 main lessonThe First Waldorf School 17 11 lesson books 18 3 importanceAspects of of the nature Pedagogy 20 12 inclusion Introduction of the arts 22 12 role of Partmusic to Whole: Head, Heart, & Hand 23 12 eurythmy Community Leader 25 15 handwork Classroom as Community 27 17 children’s Main festivals Lesson: Development of a Topic 29 20 curriculum Lesson Books: Personal Reflection of Knowledge 30 21 Importance of Nature 22 Inclusion of the Arts 26 4 Project Role of Music 2736 Regional Eurythmy Context 36 30 Site ContextHandwork 36 32 Design Children’s Intervention Festivals: Gathering of the Communites 3439 A Review of the Waldorf Curriculum 37 Bibliography Diagram of Architectural Principles 40 41
4 Project 44 Regional Context 44 Site Context 44 Design Intervention 47
Bibliography 51
iii List of Illustrations
1.1 Reverend Thomas’s Select School, 1819 McCormick, Virginia E. Educational Architecture in Ohio From One-Room Schools and Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages. New York: Kent State UP, 2001. 31
1.2 Washington Height’s School, 1873 McCormick, Virginia E. Educational Architecture in Ohio From One-Room Schools and Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages. New York: Kent State UP, 2001. 34
1.3 Outhwaite and Case, 1874-76 McCormick, Virginia E. Educational Architecture in Ohio From One-Room Schools and Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages. New York: Kent State UP, 2001. 50
1.4 Campbell Street School, 1885-86 McCormick, Virginia E. Educational Architecture in Ohio From One-Room Schools and Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages. New York: Kent State UP, 2001. 52
1.5 Lincoln Elementary School McCormick, Virginia E. Educational Architecture in Ohio From One-Room Schools and Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages. New York: Kent State UP, 2001. 60
2.1 Second Goetheanum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Goetheanum_Dornach.jpg
3.1 Orjan School Site Plan Coates, Gary. Erik Asmussen, Architect. Stockholm: Byggförlagte, 1997. 28
3.2 Sliding Classroom Door at Kaneyama Junior High School Educational Facilities: New Concepts in Architecture & Design. Tokyo, Japan: Meisei Publications, 1994. 88
3.3 Dry Water Channel at Nijo Castle Author
3.4 Filled Water Channel at Kyoto Imperial Palace Author
3.5 Teacher as Community Leader Author
3.6 Class gathering on the floor for a story Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 11
3.7 Fourth Grade Classroom Author
3.8 Eighth Grade Classroom Author
3.9 Freie Waldorfschule Ground Floor Plan Blundell, Jones Peter. Peter Hübner: Bauen Als Ein Socialer Prozess = Building as a Social Process. Stuttgart: Edition Axel Menges, 2007. 188
3.10 Student Drawing in Lesson Book with Crayon iv Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 12
3.11 Students Visiting a Cattle Farm Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 15
3.12 Orjan School Nature Diagram Coates, Gary. Erik Asmussen, Architect. Stockholm: Byggförlagte, 1997. 28
3.13 Freie Waldorfschule Central Atrium Blundell, Jones Peter. Peter Hübner: Bauen Als Ein Socialer Prozess = Building as a Social Process. Stuttgart: Edition Axel Menges, 2007. 188
3.14 Fuji Kindergarten Aerial “Kindergaten in Tokio.” Detail (2008) V.3: 187-99. 191
3.15 Tree Penetrating Through the Space Gregory, Bob. “Learning Curve.” Architectural Review Aug (2007): 32-39. 39
3.16 Columns Mimicking the Form of Trees Blundell, Jones Peter. Peter Hübner: Bauen Als Ein Socialer Prozess = Building as a Social Process. Stuttgart: Edition Axel Menges, 2007. 261
3.17 Young Student Working with Water Colors Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 11
3.18 Violin Rehearsal During Music Class Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 13
3.19 Parthenon in Athens Greece Moffet, Marian, Michael Fazio, and Lawrence Wodehouse. Buildings Across Time: An Introduction to World Architecture. New York: McGraw Hill, 2004. 52
3.20 Unite d’Habitation Moffet, Marian, Michael Fazio, and Lawrence Wodehouse. Buildings Across Time: An Introduction to World Architecture. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. 528
3.21 Students Using Rods During Eurythmy Class Carlgren, Frans. Education Towards Freedom. Edinburgh: Floris, 2008. 79
3.22 Diagram of Volumetric Experiences Author
3.23 Student Using Wood Needles to Knit a Scarf Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 13
3.24 Play Performance During a Festival Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 14
3.25 Interior of Auditorium by Erik Asmussen Coates, Gary. Erik Asmussen, Architect. Stockholm: Byggförlagte, 1997. 117
3.26 Curriculum Map Author 3.27 Part to Whole Relationship Author
3.28 Classroom as Community Author
3.29 Bring Nature into the Classroom Author
3.30 Golden Ration, a proportioning system Ching, Francis D.K. Architecture, Form, Space, and Order. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996. 287
3.31 Different Ways to Experience Space Author
3.32 Gathering of the Communities Author
4.1 Site Map with Surrounding Building Types Author
4.2 Site Plan Author
4.3 Building Sections Author
4.4 First Floor Plan Author
4.5 Second Floor Plan Author
vi Waldorf education places the development of the individual child in the focal point, convinced that the healthy individual is a prerequisite for a healthy society ¾The International Conference on Education of UNESCO
Jack Petrash, Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside Out (New York: Gryphon House, 2002) 11 vii Introduction
In the State of Ohio, and across the nation, the way children have been taught has gone through several changes over the past 150 years. The schools started out as a single room where one teacher instructs all age groups at the same time. As the population grew, the students could be taught with others of the same age group. To meet the demand of a greater student population, multi-room union schools were built in the major cities of Ohio. The rooms did not necessarily cater to the pedagogy, but to the need for more space. In many cases, the union schools followed the architectural style of the time and became landmarks in the community. However, as the system has developed, numerous rules and regulations have been put into place that greatly impacts the way schools are designed and operated. In most instances, the building has become a simple, cheap, and unattractive structure catering to cost and maintenance concerns. The rules for designing a school in Ohio are laid out in the Ohio School Design Manual published by the Ohio School Facilities Commission. The manual does not address concerns about the philosophy or pedagogy of the school and that is what this thesis seeks to explore. To explore the relationship between pedagogy and its architectural design implications, the thesis will investigate Waldorf education. The reason being, that Waldorf education has a very specific philosophy to relate to and according to the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, Waldorf education “Is the fastest growing educational movement in the world.” For most Waldorf schools in the United States of America, they are occupying existing structures not designed specifically for their needs. Typically these are either old Catholic schools or vacated public school buildings. As more students join the Waldorf movement, a greater
viii need will arise for buildings to be designed to relate the pedagogy to the building. The underlying assumption in this thesis is that having a structure designed to support and reflect the school’s pedagogy will have a positive impact on teaching and learning, and provide for a more meaningful environment. The thesis will culminate in the design of a Waldorf grade school, which is first through eighth grades, in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Currently, the closest Waldorf grade schools to the Columbus metropolitan region are in Cincinnati and Akron, and they have been in operation since 1973 and 1981, respectively. Waldorf Education Columbus is an established group committed to bringing a Waldorf Grade School to Columbus. The group has successfully established the Briar Rose Children’s Center, a Waldorf pre-school, in the community south of my proposed site. With the large growth in Waldorf education and Waldorf Education Columbus’ commitment, the desire to have a school in the Columbus area is imminent.
“Why Waldorf Works,” Association of Waldorf Schools of North America http://www. whywaldorfworks.org (accessed November 20, 2009) “Waldorf Education Columbus,” Waldorf Education Columbus http://www.waldorfedu- cationcolumbus.org (accessed January 5, 2010) ix 1
History of Ohio School Buildings
Elementary schools serve a very important function in American society. They provide free education to the young members of the community so that they may become active and productive members of the population. The early years of child’s life are the most formative and the environment in which they develop can have a drastic impact on their life. The architecture of these schools in Ohio have been through many transformations since their inception. They have become rooted in the pride and identity of communities throughout the state and signal the economic and cultural value of those communities. The following investigation is derived mostly from Educational Architecture in Ohio: From One-Room Schools and Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages by Virginia E. McCormick. Education in the state of Ohio existed before the state was formed. Teaching the youth is seen as a critical tool in promoting democracy. As such, education was tied to the development of the Northwest Territory. The Continental Congress proclaimed, “Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall be forever encouraged”. In the 1790s, As the Northwest territory was being divided, land was set aside specifically for public schools. The education system in Ohio started out as subscription schools were parents had to pay for their children to attend. School was 1.1 Reverend conducted for eight to twelve week terms in winter or summer between Thomas’s Select School, 1819 spring planting and autumn harvest. They were located in moderate log cabin structures that housed all ages in one space. The gaps between logs were filled with mud and required constant maintenance because of the constant swelling and shrinking of the logs. In some cases the floor was nothing more than dirt, but it usually was a puncheon floor of split logs. To heat the space in the winter months, a fieldstone fireplace was located opposite of the entry and was not very efficient. In 1808 the Ohio legislature official chartered the first academies in Dayton, Chillicothe, and Worthington. The communities in which these academies were located strived for a classical education beyond the basics of reading, writing, and math. The buildings were more permanent brick structures with multiple rooms and typically two floors. In the beginning there were not enough students to use all of the space, so the upper floor would be rented out. The education of all children was not common until 1825, when Ohio passed legislation establishing a property tax to support public schools. The legislation required townships throughout the state to form school districts with boards elected by local voters. However, the money obtained through the taxes were not enough to build schools and pay teachers, so many communities had to construct their own one-room 1.2 Washington Height’s School, schools. Gradually a network of one-room schools was built within a two- 1873 mile distance from every student. By World War I, half of the children in the United States were enrolled in one-room schools and Ohio had nearly ten thousand of them. Most of the schoolhouses were stick constructed with only a few being built out of brick. Their numbers increased after extensive school legislation was passed in 1853 subsequent to a revision of Ohio’s Constitution. By the end of the nineteenth century, one-room schoolhouses became synonymous with country schools. This was due to the precedent set under the Akron Act of 1847. The City of Akron’s population was increasing quickly and the children were being educated in a variety of public and private schools. The act enabled the city to be incorporated into a single district with taxes to support free education of all youth. In the state’s largest cities, they had significant enough population levels to house learning in Union Schools. These schools had individual classrooms for each grade at five levels, primary, secondary, intermediate, grammar, and high school. The advent of union schools enabled each classroom to be focused on its specific grade level both physically and pedagogically. The teacher became more specialized in the grade they 1.3 Outhwaite and were teaching and could focus on the specific developmental needs of Case, 1874-76 that age group. As the size of the schools changed, so did the architectural style. Prior to the Civil War, the most popular designs were Italianate. With the popularity of Henry Hobson Richardson’s designs in the 1890s, the Romanesque style reigned supreme. By the early twentieth century, two- story brick neoclassical buildings became the fashionable standard. The design of schools have typically been concerned with the latest trends and standards instead of being focused on what is the best environment for the education of children. Beyond the style of the architecture, there were also changes in the layout of the plan. In the one-room school house, there were windows on both sides of the space and as schools became larger, architects still strived to have windows on more than one side of the space. However, with the introduction of electric lighting, windows on only one side of the classrooms were recommended. Also, kindergarten was introduced to public schools in Cincinnati in 1905. This required a new type of classroom design to be integrated with the others and kindergarten classrooms were typically twice the size of the others.
As school districts continued to grow by natural growth and annexing 1.4 Campbell Street School, 1885-86 with neighboring schools or districts, their student population base would rise. The higher student populations allowed districts to separate the grade levels from the union schools into their own building. Elementary, middle, and high school levels developed from the division of the union schools. This can be seen as a similar occurrence to the development of union schools. The initial growth and formation of school districts in urban settings enabled the creating of large “one-room school houses”. The education was still occurring in one building, but each grade now had its own classroom. The further division of the differing grade levels into their own structures, provides designers with the opportunity to develop an entire environment specific to the student’s needs. The entire environment can be focused on what is best for a given age group. Included would be such things as: curriculum, building scale, organization, space requirements, materials, etc. The teachers and administrators are able to better serve the students because the entire building houses similar age groups. They are able to focus on the needs of a specific age group instead of concerning themselves with the entire developmental process of the child.
1.5 Lincoln However, a districts focus is to see that their students are able Elementary School to graduate as knowledgeable and functioning citizens. The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has a vision that is reflective of what all state’s school district’s vision should be. Their vision reads: The State Board of Education’s vision is for all Ohio students to graduate from the PK-12 education system with the knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary to successfully continue their education and/or be workforce ready and successfully participate in the global economy as productive citizens. Ultimately, all students will graduate well prepared for success. Many districts echo these statements in their own vision statements but also include ideas reflecting safe and supportive environments. The primary education level serves as the beginning of the child’s process to becoming a well-prepared graduate. The early years are the most formative ones in determining who each child will become. The teachers are not only there to educate, but are also there to serve as a role model and a mentor. If the child has no one else to turn to in their life, they at least have a teacher to go to who sees them most every day. School is
“ODE – State Board of Education Vision, Adopted September 2009,” Ohio Department of Education, http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&Topi cRelationID=574&ContentID=64269&Content=73929 meant to be a positive experience for younger children so that they may desire to learn more as they grow. Unfortunately, most students in Ohio grow up and learn in a school building that is not supportive, bland, and uninspiring. The schools started out as small well lit buildings and evolved into large structures that were architecturally significant. Currently, most public schools are governed by strict regulations enforced by the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC). OSFC limits the size of classrooms and other spaces along with what materials and the overall cost of the structure can be. In most cases their concerns stem from maintenance and cost issues as opposed to focusing on creating a supportive environment for the children and the teaching philosophy. Schools constructed today have been stripped down to the basics in order to make them as cheap as possible. It is nearly impossible to create a school that is architecturally significant and fosters childhood development with the current system. Designing a private school is the best way to get away from the OSFC regulations. Since all of the money comes from private sources and not tax dollars, a private school can be designed specifically to meet its own needs. As “the fastest growing educational movement in the world,” Waldorf education has great potential to grow in Ohio. There are currently two private Waldorf grade schools in Ohio; one in Cincinnati and one outside of Akron, they have been in operation since 1973 and 1981 respectively. In Columbus, there is a Waldorf pre-school established by Waldorf Education Columbus, who has the intention of opening a Waldorf grade school. Designing a Waldorf grade school provides the opportunity to create a structure that is catered towards a specific pedagogy without the limitations imposed by the OSFC.
See Association of Waldorf Schools of North America Ibid See Waldorf Education Columbus 2
Waldorf Education Development Introduction Waldorf education was created in the early Twentieth Century as a new way of educating children. The central idea behind its creation was to create a curriculum that correlated to the development of the child as well as to educate the whole child, being the head, the heart, and the hand. Educating the entire child is meant to awaken the hidden abilities that lie dormant within each child allowing them to see the strength, wisdom, and enthusiasm within themselves. According to Rudolf Steiner, the creator of Waldorf education, the aim is to “develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives.” In the first grade, the class of students is formed and will remain as the same group, including their teacher, through the end of the eighth grade. This creates a community that is able to form bonds with each other, with the central figure being the teacher. Unlike most public schools, there is a strong emphasis on the arts as they are fully integrated into the curriculum. Even in subjects like math and science, art and creativity are incorporated. The pedagogy focuses on integrated different
subjects and skills to reinforce and strengthen each other.
Rene M. Querido, Creativity in Education: The Waldorf Approach (San Francisco: Ru- dolf Steiner College, 1996), 1-2 Nick Lyons, Educating as an Art: Essays on Waldorf Education (New York: Rudolf Steiner School, 2003), 23 Francis Edmunds, Introduction to Steiner Education: The Waldorf School (New York: Rudolf Steiner, 2004), 29 See Petrash (2002), op. cit. 29 Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Steiner was born in 1861 in modern day Croatia. Prior to developing Waldorf education, Steiner studied mathematics and science at the Technical College at Vienna. During that time he studied Goethe’s methods of scientific observation and was asked by a professor to provide a commentary on Goethe’s works. In 1891, Steiner submitted his thesis for a PhD on the theory of knowledge to Rostock University. After leaving school, he became a tutor to a boy suffering from a hydrocephalic condition that left the boy to be considered unable to be taught by several specialists. After two years of tutoring with Steiner, the boy was able to join peers of his own age group in a normal school and he eventually became a medical doctor. Steiner looked towards education as one of the primary methods in developing a person and in shaping society.10 He saw education as one of the greatest tools a society has at shaping their future. However, Steiner believed that society’s youth should grow up free from the demands of the society until they can take part in shaping it as an active citizen.
Steiner as Architect
Rudolf Steiner was never trained in the realm of architecture, but that did not stop him from designing seventeen buildings and giving numerous lectures on architecture. His most prominent buildings are the first Goetheanum and the second Goetheanum, figure 2.1 (built to replace the first one after being destroyed by arson). His designs are rather sculptural in nature and intended to suggest the forms of nature without
Frans Calrgren, Education Towards Freedom (Edinburgh: Floris, 2008), 9 10 Ibid 13 2.1 Second imitating them. In the same way, Steiner believed that a building should Goetheanum be in harmony with nature and its surrounding site. Steiner felt that rectangular shaped spaces activated human thinking and keeps it to rigid and linear. The space becomes about being efficient and narrow minded. In contrast, he believed that circular spaces elicit a more spiritual and heightened sense of feeling. The combination of these two types of spaces, the thinking and the feeling, was what Steiner was striving for in his architectural designs. Specifically in the design of a school, the youngest grade’s room should be more rounded and almost womb like. As the child gets older, the rooms would become less round and more angular, just as capacity for thinking develops in the child, but never abandoning feeling.11
11 Thomas Poplawski, “Building a School with a Soul” Renewal: A Journal for Waldorf Education Fall/Winter 2009 18 no. 2; 22-25 10 The First Waldorf School In the spring of 1919, Emil Molt, the head of the Waldorf-Astoria Cigarette Factory in Stuttgart, Germany, asked Rudolf Steiner to lead the education department with the intent of opening a school for the worker’s children in the fall. To prepare for the new school an empty building was acquired and renovated and Steiner spent several months preparing his new form of education. His new school was developed to include everyone, regardless of their economic or societal class because Steiner believed that every child has the same developmental needs and no one should be left out. The curriculum has the goal of educating the human being and places great emphasis on the teaching style. The importance is not the teacher’s capacity to recite facts, but their ability to form helpful relationships with the students and respond to their needs. Also, the education does not purely rely upon the traditional subjects of history, math, language, and science. It moves beyond that and into practical life skills such as knitting and agriculture. Although Steiner is regarded as a philosopher, he stressed that the Waldorf School does not follow any one particular philosophy. Great emphasis was placed on the teacher’s understanding the pedagogy, so Rudolf Steiner held a series of courses to instruct the school’s future teachers. He also held lectures throughout the early years of the Waldorf School. In current Waldorf schools, all teachers must go through the pedagogical training before being accepted to a position.12
12 See Frans Calgren (2008), op. cit. 18-20 11 3
Aspects of the Pedagogy Introduction This section describes aspects of the pedagogy individually and in relation to the child’s entire education. As mentioned earlier, Waldorf education is not about the separate elements but about a holistic approach to education. In order to better understand the pedagogy, it is better to explore each aspect individually and relate back to the whole. Where applicable, each description is followed by examples of appropriate architectural responses that directly support the functions of that aspect of the pedagogy along with examples of design that reflect the ideals of the pedagogy.
Part to Whole Relationship: Head, Heart, & Hand The curriculum in a Waldorf School is designed so that the students are engaged on more than one level. Rudolf Steiner considered there to be three fundamental forces within the children that need to be engaged in the education. These forces include mental, emotional, and physical activity; otherwise known as head, heart, and hand.13 By addressing the three forces, it is believed that the students will be more engaged with their education and that what they learn will be richer and more rewarding. In traditional schooling, the children are typically taught facts that they are expected to memorize and repeat back to the teacher in some form. The problem with this is that it relies too heavily upon the head and the
13 See Jack Petrash (2002), op. cit. 24 12 students become tired. By incorporating exercises that utilize the heart 3.1 Orjan School Site Plan and the hand, the students will remain attentive.14 The other aspect of these forces is that if they go ignored, they will come out of the students naturally and in a way that is not beneficial to their education. For example, if the children are sitting at their desks for too long they may start to become fidgety and anxious to move around, or they could possibly start to day dream and ignore the teacher all together. The idea is to exercise the head, the heart, and then the hand so that the children tire less while providing a rhythmic pattern to each day.15
Architectural Response To support the three forces within every child, the classroom needs to have an open plan that allows the space to be modified and divided into different activity zones by the teacher. In this sense, the separate activities are unified within the whole of the classroom. This same idea applies to the entire school, each space serves a particular purpose on its own, but must be integrated and related to the building as a whole. The structure should not be a conglomeration of individual pieces; it must
14 See Frans Calgren (2008), op. cit. 54 15 See Nick Lyons (2003), op. cit. 19 13 3.2 Sliding Classroom Door at Kaneyama Junior High School
3.3 Dry Water Channel at Nijo Castle
3.4 Filled Water Channel at Kyoto Imperial Palace 14 be a grouping of connected zones as a unified whole. In figure 3.1, this Waldorf grade school is designed around a central unifying space that each structure relates to. Each zone is distinguishable, but also unified through the use of common materials. Even smaller, aspects and moments of the school can carry these ideas forward. One example would be the use of sliding doors instead of swinging doors. Looking at figure 3.2, the doors slide on a track that is visible along the floor and above the door, and it slides to meet a doorstop on the wall. Also, the wall is recessed to emphasize the horizontal movement of the door. All of these aspects create a relationship between the physical opening of the door, and mental image of where the door will be sliding. Another example of a similar idea is the use of an exposed water channel to convey rainwater from the building’s roof to another point on the site. In figure 3.3, there is a downspout terminating within a dry channel what surrounds the building. This creates a direct link between the roof above and the ground. By doing so, one is able to associate that when it rains, the water collected by the roof will empty into the channel. In figure 3.4, the channel is filled with water from a rainstorm and now the child is able to associate the amount of rain with how quickly and how high it fills the channel.
Community Leader At the age of six the children will enter the first grade with a teacher who will stay with them through the eighth grade. This is one of the most defining aspects of Waldorf education.16 In any other school setting, as the students advance to the next grade, they are assigned to a different teacher. The only exception is that some schools have one or two teachers who instruct the same group of students for two consecutive
16 See Francis Edmunds (2004), op. cit. 29 15 Teacher Society Security Role Model
3.5 Teacher as years at the elementary level. Even so, this is not the same commitment Leader as being with the same class for eight years. For a teacher, one school year is just the amount of time it takes for he or she to truly know and understand their class. For the students, it is also the same time it takes for them to fully trust and know their teacher. By changing teachers, these connections are lost and must be started all over again the following year.17 There are other benefits to maintaining the same teacher as well. Since the same teacher has been with a class for several years and will continue to be with them for a few more, he or she fully understands what the children have been taught and what they will be learning. By having this background, the teacher is able to see the entire picture of the children’s education and able to cater lessons to his or her students’ interests. It also enables them to foresee possible issues based upon past experiences and truly gauge each child’s educational progress. However, such a system is not without its problems. Since the philosophy relies upon one person to teach up to the eighth grade, the teacher may end up spending a lot of their extra time studying the various subjects he or she will be teaching. If certain subjects are beyond a
17 See Nick Lyons (2003), op. cit. 19 16 teacher’s ability, especially in the higher grades, a specialist may have to 3.6 Class gathering on the floor for a be brought in to cover the material. At the same time, they are attending story weekly teacher meetings, providing extra help to children who need it, contacting parents, and sharing administrative duties. They may also be responsible for organizing or running some extra curricular activities.18
Classroom as Community By maintaining the same students and teacher in each class, the group becomes their own community. The children begin to know each other very well, to the point where they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. So when certain situations arise, those who are more proficient may help those who are less proficient. The bonds the students form allow them to grow and mature together and provides them with a sense of having a home they can rely upon. In a similar way, the teacher becomes an important authority figure whom the children are constantly looking to.19
The full importance of the concept of community was realized after speaking with Karen Crick, Enrollment Director at the Cincinnati
18 See Frans Carlgren (2008), op. cit. 108-109 19 Ibid 110-111 17 3.7 Fourth Grade Waldorf School. She spoke about the importance of having just one class/ Classroom, left community at each grade. The school never desires to have multiple 3.8 Eighth Grade Classroom, right classes of students at the same age. It is important that all students of the same age are able to share a common experience while in school. This approach is also beneficial in limiting the amount of space required to operate the school, but at the same time may limit the revenue the school receives each year. The concept of community is extended beyond each individual classroom and into the structure of each school. The faculty exist as a community of equals, all sharing in the responsibility of how the school operates. The teachers may elect their own chairman, but beyond that there is no other figurehead or board. Ultimately, the direction the school takes and what decisions are made come down to the faculty.20
Architectural Response Each classroom must have some unique qualities that separate it from the rest of the classrooms, just as one community is not exactly the same as another. This allows each class to have a space they can claim as their own and reflects the character of the group. One of the simplest
20 See Nick Lyons (2003), op. cit. 23 18 ways to achieve the individual character is through the use of color. 3.9 Freie Waldorfschule Rudolf Steiner had strong convictions about the meaning of different Ground Floor Plan colors and their application in spaces. He saw red as being a more active color and blue being a more passive color relating to mental concentration. This belief is brought into Waldorf classrooms, where first grade is a bright red, second grade orange, until eight grade where the color is blue- purple. Each grade gradually loses the red/active color as they mature and become less active beings.21 Figures 3.7 and 3.8, the Cincinnati Waldorf School has applied these colors to the walls to the old Catholic school they are occupying. An additional way to create individuality is for each classroom to have a slightly different shape, so that each room is not a direct copy of the previous one. Figure 3.9 is the plan of a Waldorf school where the rooms are arranged around a central atrium. Each space is given a unique configuration, and because of the circular plan, each room will also receive different qualities of sunlight. It is important to note that the building still needs to be a unified whole even though each classroom is to be unique.
21 Rotraut Walden, Schools for the Future: Design Proposals from Architectural Psychol- ogy (Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe, 2009), 81 19 Morning Lesson: Development of a Topic Every day in a Waldorf school begins the same way; the children enter the classroom and begin the day’s main lesson. Each uninterrupted lesson lasts for two hours covering one subject for a period of three to six weeks.22 The large amount of time devoted to one subject allows for it to be covered in great depth and explored in numerous ways. This allows the focus to be clear over a given period of time; the children will not be thrown off by a sudden shift of topics. They are able to come to school and know what to expect. Another understanding of the main lesson is the process of forgetting. Since a subject may not be covered again for six months or more, the students have a lot of time to forget the material. Typically it is seen that a child’s abilities have developed and the knowledge can be reawakened when the subject is revisited. This is especially true if the material was presented so that the students remained interested and enthusiastic. It may seem counter-intuitive to want to forget something that has been learned; however, the process becomes clearer when thinking of manual activities. For example, when carving a block of wood, the carver is not consciously thinking about how to make each stroke. They have forgotten how they learned it and are just simply doing what they intuitively know. One of the reasons the morning starts with main lessons is because it is easier to concentrate and think during that time of the day. To make the most out of the academic lessons, it is logical for them to occur when it is easier to rely upon knowledge and understanding. Then later in the day the students can move onto subjects that require manual agility, such as woodwork or knitting.23
Lesson Books: Personal Reflection of Knowledge 22 See Francis Edmunds (2004), 35 23 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 53-54 20 Instead of relying upon printed textbooks to learn from, the students 3.10 Student Drawing in Lesson rely solely upon their teacher. To track what they are learning, each Book with Crayons student creates their own lesson book as the year progresses. The books include drawings from stories told, geometric figures, practicing their alphabet, etc. In this way, the children learn to create their own account of what they are learning since the teacher is not directly instructing what to include. There may be some concern that the students will become too dependent upon their teacher by not including outside sources of information. However, it has been found that the children become motivated by the teacher’s presentation of the material and seek out books on their own for further study.24 The children become very proud of their lesson books and put a lot of time and care into their creation. Many of the students take their books home to work on them further. They practice condensing the day’s main lesson and reworking what they have already done. In this manner, the educational process is being encouraged and reinforcing what they learned earlier in the day.25
24 Ibid 56 25 See Nick Lyons (2003), 21 21 Importance of Nature Having the children engaged and interacting with nature is a very important aspect of Waldorf education. In many ways people are becoming very disconnected with the natural world and lack a true appreciation for what it provides and offers. It is much easier to teach children the importance of nature and the responsibilities humans have in maintaining it than it is to teach adults. Children find it easier to relate to plants and animals in their own environment and readily pick up responsible environmental habits.26 To gain a full appreciation for nature, the students need to become active in their environment and understand how humans rely upon raw materials. For example, the students will experience how corn is grown, how it is harvested and have it milled, and baked into bread. Rudolf Steiner always stressed that the natural world should be taught by finding a relationship between nature and the children’s understanding of themselves.27 Just as plants are a part of the human environment, so are animals. Students at Waldorf schools are exposed to animals, especially farm animals, starting around the fourth grade. Whether learning about plants or animals, direct exposure is always stressed over showing pictures or video. Nothing can truly capture or simulate the actual experience of being a part of nature.28 After visiting the Cincinnati Waldorf School, the focus on the natural environment is clear. It was a very cloudy and drizzling day outside, yet several classes were outside exploring, something they do everyday. It does not matter what the weather is like, the children are expected to come prepared with the proper clothing (ex. rain boots, rain jackets, gloves, winter jacket, etc.) to go outside each day. They learn to appreciate all aspects of the environment this way. Even in the classroom 26 Christopher Clouder and Martyn Rawson, Waldorf Education (New York: Floris, 2004), 87 27 Ibid 99 28 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 151 22 natures influence can be felt. None of the teachers had the overhead 3.11 Students Visiting a Cattle Farm fluorescent lights on; they were relying upon daylight eve though it was extremely cloudy outside. When it got a little too dark, the teacher would turn on a desk lamp or two and never resort to the overhead lights.
Architectural Response There are numerous ways of included the natural world in the design of a Waldorf school. Looking again at Orjan school, figure 3.12, at the center of the community is a naturalized landscaped, creating a gathering and focal point for the school. The buildings are also surrounded by the natural environment, immersing the students into there surroundings. Another way of looking at the same idea is to bring nature into the building, such as the atrium in Freie Waldorfschule, figure 3.13. In this example, any time the children leave a room, they become engaged with an element of nature. A similar idea is to create multiple, smaller court yards throughout the building that bring a piece of nature directly into the building. At Fuji Kindergarten outside Tokyo, the building wraps around several existing trees on the site, figure 3.14. Punctures are made through the structure, allowing the trees to tower directly over the school. Figure 3.15 shows how the trunks are visible and accessible from within the building.
23 3.12 Orjan School Nature Diagram
3.13 Freie Waldorfschule Central Atrium
24 The idea of a tree can be taken in a different direction as well. The 3.14 Fuji Kindergarten Aerial, structural columns that support the roof of the school can be shaped to top right mimic the form of a tree. Figure 3.16, is an example of a Waldorf school 3.15 Tree Penetrating Through using wooden columns with branch like supports extending from them to Space, left support the roof above, which acts like the canopy of a forest. The use 3.16 Columns of natural materials in this example is also a reflection of nature. The Mimicking the Form of Trees children can look towards these materials to understand how humans utilize the natural world in many ways. Another way of bringing nature and architecture together is to bring the cyclical qualities of nature into the built environment. Instead of being a static structure, the building can respond to and change with each season of the year. One simple approach would be to employ window shading devices that can be removed or retracted when they are not needed in the winter. A green wall can also be employed to reflect 25 the change in season. A green wall is the use of vegetation to cover the façade of a building by either allowing the vegetation to directly grow on the building or on a separate supporting structure. In the fall, the building itself will appear to change color, then reveal its true skin in the winter, and have a rebirth of life on the building in the spring. Natural light is a very crucial factor in a Waldorf school; it is preferred over electric lighting in any situation. The design must be able to be supported by daylight to the greatest extent possible. The dynamic qualities of natural light are much more pleasing than the stark and consistent light emitted by electric light fixtures. The building should respect nature by embodying principles of sustainability such as: passive solar heat gain for the winter, rainwater collection to flush the toilets, a green roof to reduce storm water runoff and the heat island effect, rainwater garden, permeable paving, and locally grown materials.
Inclusion of the Arts In many public school settings, an art class occurs only one or two times a week for no more than an hour at a time. When funding becomes too low, the arts are one of the first areas of the curriculum to see cuts or even be eliminated. In a Waldorf school, drawing and painting are an integral part of the entire curriculum; it is infused in nearly everything the students do. Art gets the children emotionally involved in their education, which is an important aspect of Waldorf education.29 Using art in all subjects not only enriches the education but also appeals to children’s desire to be an artist.30 The use of drawing and painting will not just enrich the education process; it also serves as a practical life skill. Artistic activities require attention and alertness, which can be developed while practicing art but
29 See Jack Petrash (2002), 59-60 30 See Nick Lyons (2003), 20 26 can also be applied to other current and future activities.31 The children 3.17 Young Student Working with Water also learn how to represent what they are being taught in a visual manner. Colors Artistic exercises help the students express themselves in a creative way through the use of different media. They learn how to use a crayon versus how to work with watercolor and what kind of results they can achieve with each.
Architectural Response One way of integrating artistic ideas into the buildings design is to use different materials throughout the structure. By doing so, the building will tend to become less monotonous than typical public schools. This would also demonstrate how different materials produce different effects just as different art media are capable of producing different effects.
Role of Music Similar to the arts in the public school model, music is not always given very much weight in the curriculum. The children will receive singing lessons in elementary school and possibly some early instrument work with a recorder. Being part of the band or orchestra is optional throughout 31 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 57 27 3.18 Violin the child’s school career. Also, music is one of the first areas to see cuts Rehearsal During Music Class or elimination during a budget crisis. This is hardly the case in a Waldorf school, every child learns a musical instrument beyond the introductory level and singing is a part of other curriculum beyond their music course. Waldorf education is about integrating curriculum to make learning a richer and more rewarding experience.32 The students go through a sequence within the musical curriculum that gradually builds upon itself. In the first years of grade school, they learn singing and rhythm, then how to read and write musical notes. Around the fourth grade the children begin to learn an orchestral instrument after practicing the recorder. In the more advanced grades, six to eight, they learn music theory and have the option of continuing with the orchestra.33 Norman Weinberger, professor of psychobiology at the University of California at Irvine stated: Music has the ability to facilitate language acquisition, reading readiness, and general intellectual development, to foster positive attitudes and to lower truancy in middle and high school, to enhance creativity, and to promote social development, personality
32 See Jack Petrash (2002), 72 33 See Nick Lyons (2003), 79 28 adjustment, and self worth. … because we know that musical 3.19 Parthenon in Athens, Greece competency is part of our biological heritage –part of human nature– we should not continue to treat it as a fill.34 Researchers have shown what Waldorf schools have known for years, that a holistic education is only capable by using all subject areas. Music is a part of the human experience and offers many benefits to life beyond musical ability.
Architectural Response One of the major components of music is the implementation of harmonies, which are related to each other on a scale. A similar approach in the built environment is to use a proportional system that ties all elements of the design together. The classical orders of architecture are one of the most widely known and widely used set of proportions and they have been in existence since ancient Greece. Western architecture is full of examples employing the classical orders. The Parthenon in Athens,
Greece (Figure 3.19) is considered one of the finest examples of the Doric order. Another proportioning system is the golden ratio; and one of the most prominent designers to use it was Le Corbusier. In many of his 34 Norman M. Weinberger, “The Music in Our Minds” Education Leadership November (2008), 36, 38 29 3.20 Unite designs, he would employ the golden ration in the size and shape of a d’Habitation space, the entire building, openings, and even details. In figure 3.20, the use of the golden ratio is evident in the façade of Unite d’Habitation by Le Corbusier.
Eurythmy: The Body in Space Anyone unfamiliar with Waldorf education may have never heard of eurythmy or have any idea what it is about. Eurythmy is an art form developed by Rudolf Steiner that employs rhythmical exercises that seeks to bring harmony between the conscious mind and the active limbs. The exercises work in two directions, the experience of movement in space and the experience of knowledge in the mind. The movements are always done as part of a group, so it is not only about a greater sense of oneself, but also an awareness of each other. The exercises grow in complexity as
the children gradually learn how to move with their body.35 Rudolf Steiner stated that, “Eurythmy can create forces of the will that remain throughout
35 Karen Lee Rivers, Waldorf Education: A Family Guide (Michaelmas, 1999), 70 30 life, whereas a characteristic of other forms of education of the will is that 3.21 Students Using Rods During the will weakens again later on.”36 Eurythmy Class Eurythmy is not solely about rhythmical movements on their own; it is about the integration with other areas of the curriculum. There are clear connections between movement and music, such as the difference between three time and four time, or a fast pace versus a slow pace. This is only the beginning of eurythmy’s connection with the rest of the education. The children can learn to move in circles, squares, triangles, etc., before they are formally taught about geometry. Poetry and language can also be taught in a rhythmical form. Various stanza forms or poetic meters can be expressed in movement.37
Architectural Response Since eurythmy is about understanding ones body in space, a great way to further this idea architecturally is to provide different volumetric experiences within the building. Figure 3.22 is a diagram of some different ways a person can experience their body in space. A person can be in the vast openness of a field, sheltered under a tree canopy, within a small
36 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 80 37 See Karen Lee Rivers (1999), 71 31 3.22 Diagram tight room, at the bottom of a tall space, or in an upper level of a multi- of Volumetric Experiences story space. They all provide opportunities to experience space, and when combined together in one building, are able to be compared to one another more easily. Eurythmy can also be thought of in terms of the sequence of a building and how a person moves through it. By employing the different volumetric spaces in a particular sequence, a dynamic and rich experience can be created for the visitor. Perhaps there is a particular sequence of spaces a person would always encounter when entering a space or the building. By expanding and contracting one’s path through a building, the experience is more rewarding than a monotonous path.
Handwork Another aspect of the Waldorf curriculum is the development of objects using the hand. Starting in the first grade the children learn how to knit simple objects with greater complexity added each year. Learning to knit at a young age helps develop hand eye coordination along with concentration. These are skills that will prove very important in other tasks and in their development as a person. Also, knitting can emphasize other subjects such as math and geometry. The children can be asked to do
rows of colors based on a mathematical pattern.38 The use of wool is another way to demonstrate to the students how materials from the earth can be transformed. The children can participate
38 Ibid 58-59 32 in sheering a sheep and then spinning the wool into usable yarn. Working 3.23 Student Using Wood Needles to Knit to transform natural materials develops a sense of well being in the a Scarf students and a sense of accomplishment from creating an object out of raw materials. The process of knitting awakens and educates the will, which is connected to thinking. By educating the will early, the curriculum is preparing the students to become creative thinking adults. The process also teaches the kids to notice detail and learn how to work with tools.39 Rudolf Steiner stated that: a person who is unskilled in the movement of his fingers will also be unskillful in his intellect, having less mobile ideas or thoughts, and that he who has acquired dexterity in the movements of his fingers has also mobile thoughts and ideas and can penetrate into the essence of things, one will not undervalue what is meant by developing the outer human being, with the aims that out of the whole treatment of the outer man the intellect shall arise as one part of the human being.40
39 See Nick Lyons (2003), 72-74 40 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 69 33 3.24 Play Children’s Festivals: Gathering of the Communities Performance During a Festival Every quarter, and at some schools nearly every month, a festival is held at the school where the students share what they have been learning with the rest of the school. The younger children get in front of the entire school and the older kids are able to reflect upon where they have come from. In the same way, when the older kids perform the younger children get the opportunity to see what they will be doing in the future. What is shared can be any number of things, such as a play, reciting in a foreign language, playing an instrument, acting out an historical scene, etc.41 The festivals bring the entire school together in unity under a common experience. The reason the festivals occur throughout the year is because they are a part of the curriculum just like any other subject. If the students are planning to put on play, then they have to be rehearsing it in advance. They are learning to work together and how to put together a performance.
By having multiple festivals, the children are able to learn from the previous festival. If they were to only occur at the end of the year, there
41 See Francis Edmunds (2004), 126 34 would not be as much value since a whole year would pass before those 3.25 Interior of Auditorium by Erik skills would be needed again.42 Asmussen
3.26 Curriculum Map, next page Architectural Response The best way to support the festivals is to include a performance space, such as an auditorium, in the design of the school. This space provides every student with seat to watch each grade perform on stage. The space can also be used for events that include parents, and therefore must contain enough seats to do so. Figure 3.25 is an image of the auditorium on the site of the Orjan school mentioned earlier. Since the auditorium is the gathering place for all the children, the colors representing all the grades are visible in the mural painted on the ceiling. To further signify the central role the auditorium plays in gathering all the grades together, the space can be situated with the classrooms gathering around it, as seen in figure 3.9. To further the idea of looking towards the future and reflecting upon the past, the classrooms can be arranged so as to provide views towards
42 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 164 35 Stools Carving Tools Carving Woodwork Carved Objects Carved Utensils Felting Sewing Crochet Knitting Knitting Handwork Needle Point Needle Sewing Machine Knitting in Round Music Recorder Recorder Orchestra Orchestra Music Theory Music Theory Music String Instruments String Instruments Botany Zoology Anatomy Physics & Physics Science Gardening Chemistry & Earth Sciences Physics Intro & Intro Physics Chemistry Intro Observe Nature Observe Nature 2 1:2 Math 2 - 1 = Geometry 2 x 1 = Arithmetic 4 ÷ 2 = 2 + = 4 2 - 4 = -2 Arithmetic Decimals & Proportions y = 4x + 10 12 x 3 = 36 Weight, Money Weight, 2.2 x 3 = 6.6 6.2 ÷ 2 = 3.1 Fractions & Free Fractions Hand Geometry & Measurement Algebra & Graphs Algebra Advanced Algebra Advanced , ! VERB ? ADVERB Language & Grammar “ Punctuation Letter Writing Letter Oral ReportsOral & Composition & Composition Intro to Letters to Intro Essays & Poetry Essays : Creative Writing Creative Creative Writing Creative Speech & Drama PREPOSITION NOUN Reading & Writing Reading & ADJECTIVE Modern History Fairy Tales Fairy Renaissance Norse MythsNorse Fables & Legends Fables Hebrew Scriptures Hebrew Roman & Medieval Ancient Civilization Ancient First Grade First Fifth Grade Fifth Sixth Grade Eight Grade Eight Third Grade Third Fourth Grade Fourth Second Grade Seventh Grade Seventh
36 the others. By doing so, it provides the opportunity for one grade to catch a glimpse of what another is doing on a daily basis. The Orjan school site plan, figure 3.1, is an example of using such a strategy.
A Review of the Waldorf Curriculum Grade One- fairy tales, nature stories, folk tales; phonetic introduction to letters; reading approached through writing; arithmetic Grade Two- fables and legends; cursive writing, reading, elements of grammar; arithmetic Grade Three- Hebrew scriptures, stories of heroes & heroines; practical life studies (farming, housing, soils and plants, garden work); reading, writing, composition, punctuation, grammar, spelling; arithmetic, weight & measurement, money Grade Four- Norse mythology and sagas; local history and geography, maps; grammar, letter writing, oral book reports, spelling, creative writing; zoology; free-hand geometry, fractions, long division Grade Five- ancient civilizations through Greek times, Greek mythology; American geography related to vegetation, agriculture and economics; composition, grammar, creative writing; botany, zoology; decimals, ration, proportion, metric system Grade Six- Roman and medieval history; European and African geography; Geology, Physics (acoustics, electricity, magnetism, optics and heat); composition, grammar, spelling, speech, drama; geometric drawing with instruments; botany, astronomy Grade Seven- Reformation/Renaissance and the Age of Exploration; lands and oceans, global geography; human physiology and nutrition, physics, astronomy, inorganic chemistry; compositions, poetry, drama; algebra, geometry, graphs
37 Grade Eight- modern history (18th-21st Century), Industrial revolution; social world geography and economic interdependence; physics, anatomy, organic chemistry; composition, grammar, creative writing; advanced algebra and geometry; botany, astronomy43 The following sections explore some of the reasons why the Waldorf curriculum is sequenced the way it is. The curriculum has been arranged with great care in bringing about the greatest potential within every student.
History The structure of the history curriculum is sequenced so that the historical period correlates with the child’s development and awakening consciousness. Starting in the first grade, fairy tales are used to help the children advance their pictorial thinking skills, which deepens their comprehension. In second grade, the focus is on fables and legends. The legends reveal human’s dedication the God, the earth, and fellow humans while the fables relate animal experiences with human traits and foibles. The Old Testament is studied in the third grade to lead the children back to earth and through the Biblical version of man’s evolution. The students are now prepared to be approached through the intellect. Norse mythology is then explored in the fourth grade to give them confidence in themselves. These stories provide another cultures perspective on how the world was created and the experiences of an individual. In fifth grade, the focus is directed towards ancient civilizations up to the Greeks. The students are able to gain multiple perspectives on how different cultures valued their life on earth, be it the Egyptians focus on the after life to the Greeks fondness for being alive. In a similar way, fifth graders are able to think for themselves and are confident in their abilities.
43 The Cincinnati Waldorf School Brochure 38 Roman and medieval history awaits the sixth graders. The children are becoming more aware of their physicality and unique personality and can relate their changes to the great changes mankind has seen from Roman to medieval times. Now in seventh grade, the children are experiencing the mayhem of puberty. They begin to study the Age of Exploration, The Reformation and those who set out to challenge what humans know, just as teenagers challenge authority in their lives. Finally, in the eighth grade they are brought from the 1780s and into the present. By studying important historic individuals that contrast each other (ex. Hitler and Gandhi), the students are able to find their own point of view.44
Science Starting in the first grade, the teacher strives to develop an inner picture of living organisms in his or her students. By doing so, the minds become more flexible and expansive. In the second grade, the teacher relates what the class is learning about in fables with the animal kingdom through objective comparisons between animals. Third graders start to become more actively engaged in their environment by farming, building, and analyzing nature. At this point in their lives the children are beginning to experience a separation between the self and the world and this offers an appropriate time for more objective science to be taught. In the fourth grade they study animals while fifth graders study plants; but the focus is never on dry facts, it’s on the imagery. The sixth grade sees the introduction of mineralogy and physics. These subjects are introduced because of the students desire for truth and facts and because their previous experiences have prepared them to be observant in order to discover the underlying phenomena. In the seventh and eighth grades, blocks of chemistry, physics, astronomy, anatomy,
44 David Mitchell, Windows into Waldorf (AWSNA Publications, 2006), 26-30 39 and human physiology reinforce their abilities the precisely describe phenomena.45
Geometry Starting in kindergarten, the children are drawing geometric forms in an unconscious way; they are mimicking objects and forms around them. In first grade, form drawing begins without the use of instruments and sets the background for formal geometry training in later years. Fourth graders are concerned with drawing Norse and Celtic patterns through which they are learning complicated patterns and comparing geometries. Through sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, the student’s geometric training becomes more precise through the use of rulers, compasses, and other instruments. Similarly to their science studies, the children’s development is more interested in truth and facts at this stage.46
45 Ibid 32-35 46 Ibid 36 40 Diagrams of Architectural Principles
3.27 Part to Whole Relationship
3.28 Classrooms as Community
41 3.29 Bring Nature into the Classroom
3.30 Golden Ratio, a proportioning system
42 3.31 Different Ways to Experience Space
3.32 Gathering of the Communities
43 4
Project Regional Context The Columbus Metropolitan Area is one of the few major cities in the United States to not be served by a Waldorf grade school. The closest Waldorf grade schools are the Cincinnati Waldorf School, 110 miles southwest, and the Spring Garden Waldorf School, 120 miles northeast near Akron, Ohio.47 However, there are multiple private schools with religious and non-religious affiliations throughout Columbus.The Columbus Montessori Education Center offers an educational experience with a strong pedagogy for children aged six weeks to the eighth grade.48 There is currently a Waldorf preschool and kindergarten in Columbus named Briar Rose Children’s Center. The school is affiliated with Waldorf Education Columbus, who has the intention of opening a Waldorf grade school and three more preschools.49 Their ambition clearly demonstrates that they feel there is the right amount of demand to open a grade school.
Site Context The site is located in a primarily residential area in Worthington, Ohio, a suburban city just north of Columbus. United State Route 23 is a major road that runs less than a mile away from the site and offers access to Interstate 270 just over a mile from the site. Interstate 270 circles
47 See Association of Waldorf Schools of North America 48 Columbus Montessori Education Center & McGlaughlin School (accessed January 6, 2010) 49 See Waldorf Education Columbus 44 4.1 Site Map around the city of Columbus and therefore provides a convenient way for with Surrounding Building Types (red = motorists from around the region to reach the site. The proposed location commerical, yellow = single family, orange for the Waldorf grade school is situated within the Worthington City School = multi-family District, which offers a middle school experience similar to Montessori Education.50 Having an alternative program signals that the community is open to different educational methods beyond typical public schooling. The site itself is located at the intersection of Campus View Boulevard and Alta View Boulevard. To the north and east of the site there are numerous apartment buildings, to the immediate south there is a new street of single-family housing being built and across Campus View Boulevard is a commercial area. Railroad tracts border the site on the west and on the other side of them there is a neighborhood of single- family housing.
50 Phoenix Middle School, “Phoenix Middle School” (accessed December 18, 2009) 45 PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT
4.2 Site Plan
46 PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT EDUCATIONAL AUTODESK AN BY PRODUCED PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT EDUCATIONAL AUTODESK AN BY PRODUCED
Design Intervention 4.3 Building Sections The classrooms are arranged in pairs around a central pond. The PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT pond is located at the center because water is central to all aspects of life. The classrooms are grouped together so that one grade will have
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT a daily interaction with another and not become too isolated in their own community. The younger grade classrooms are to the north of the pond, while the older grades are to the south of the pond, providing the students with the opportunity to be visually connected with each other, in reference to the festivals. Also, this arrangement provides the younger grades with more southern light and the older grades with more northern light.
In section, the classrooms are divided in half by a butterfly roof, PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT EDUCATIONAL AUTODESK AN BY PRODUCED creating a south facing area and a north facing area in each classroom. The north side will receive more consistent daylight, and is reflective of the child’s mental concentration. The south side will receive more active daily, reflective of the child’s physical movement. Since the younger grades have less capacity to stay mentally focused for long periods of time, the south area dominates. In the older grades, they have a greater mental capacity to concentrate, so the north light dominates. The columns supporting the roof in the center of each class mimic the form of a tree, turning the roof into the canopy in a forest. The classrooms will primarily use wood on the floors and exposed ceiling. The walls will be a color stained wood to match each grades corresponding 47 PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT
4.5 Second Floor
Plan PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT PRODUCT EDUCATIONAL AUTODESK AN BY PRODUCED PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT
4.4 First Floor Plan
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT EDUCATIONAL 48AUTODESK AN BY PRODUCED color. There is also a full kitchen in every room since the children take part in cooking meals and snacks. In between the classrooms there is a locker area at the entrance to each pair. The lockers provide a place for each student to hang their coat, store their boots, and lunch. The lockers would be appropriately scaled for each grade to make them easily accessible to the students. The locker area also serves as the transition space to the outdoors, where they can change into the proper attire. On the northern end of the younger grade classrooms are the animal pens for the sheep. They are connected to the younger grades because that is the age at which they are observing and learning how to take care of animals. Located to the east of the pond are all of the common spaces; library, handwork and music on the ground floor; the eurythmy and woodwork rooms on the second floor. All of the program could easily fit on the site as one level, but doing so would deny the children the ability to experience a two-story space, both from the ground and at the second floor. The common spaces are connected to the auditorium, gym, and administrative functions by an atrium. The back stage area of the auditorium is directly connected to the gym, which ties the two performance events together. The gym also serves as a large space to that can be used to prepare set props for a performance. There is also an outdoor performance space that is tied into the façade of the main building by using it as the backdrop. The indoor space of the gym is contrasted with a large outdoor field suitable for soccer and baseball. The field also serves as a public space for the surrounding community by having it located along the street running adjacent to the site. In addition to sheep fields, there is also a location for each classroom to have their own garden and for crops to be grown to feed the sheep. Adjacent to the garden area is a cafeteria and meeting space
49 where the food that is grown can be prepared and consumed. Before and after school, the space can be used as a meeting space for all the teachers to discus the operations of the school. Connecting all the structures and functions of the site is a trellis system that creates an outdoor hallway. The main trellis that leads students from the drop off zone to the main building is a large stone a wooden trellis with Virginia creeper growing across it. The ivy helps convey the cycles of nature because the leaves change to a deep red in the fall, die off in the winter, and have a rebirth of greenery in the spring. The trellis leading around the pond and by the classrooms is at a smaller scale and made entirely of wood. At each classroom the width of the path enlarges to create an outdoor classroom. Between the two sheep fields is a trellis supported by a single post in the middle and a fence between each post.
50 Bibliography Blundell, Jones Peter. Peter Hübner: Bauen Als Ein Socialer Prozess = Building as a Social Process. Stuttgart: Edition Axel Menges, 2007. Print. Carlgren, Frans. Education Towards Freedom. Edinburgh: Floris, 2008. Print. Clouder, Christopher, and Martyn Rawson. Waldorf Education. New York: Floris, 2004. Print. Coates, Gary. Erik Asmussen, Architect. Stockholm: Byggförlagte, 1997. Print. Columbus Montessori Education Center & McGlaughlin School. Web. 06 Jan. 2010.
51 Phoenix Middle School - Phoenix Middle School. Web. 18 Dec. 2009.
52