School Plein Air: Classroom without a Classroom
Instructor/Advisor: Elliot Voth

CONCEPT

In the olden days, artists who used oil paints had to mix them by themselves using different chemicals, confining them to the studio. The term En Plein Air came when the invention of oil paints in tubes started in the 1800s, where artists can bring their paints outside and paint anywhere.

Similarly, if teachers teach in a typically closed classroom, students will be limited inside the classroom. If the wall and its border were removed, students can learn more outside the classroom and get hands-on experience.

DESIGN STRATEGIES

I. Space Definition

Experimentation on degrees of boundary compared to ground level, which can be mainly categorized in six levels: material, elevation, frame, clear glass, translucent glass, solid wall.

II. Implementation

The degrees of boundary cannot be evaluated without comparison objects. They can be passively compared (Relationship) or actively change the space into a different degree of boundary (Transformation)

USER AND PROGRAM

The target users can be organized into three groups. For the school, the main users are students from grades 1 to 6, teachers, and staff. For the park nearby the school, the main users are students, teachers, and locals.

To reduce the boundary of the school, programs with similar functions will be merged, and walls will only be used where necessary. The programs on each floor are assigned according to the user interaction from the previous analysis:

1st Floor: an area where guests will also interact, which includes administration, common area, sports hall, and assembly hall.
2nd Floor: classrooms, breakout rooms, and an activity room for students grades 1 to 3.
3rd Floor: classrooms, breakout rooms, and an activity room for students grades 4 to 6.

SITE CONDITION

ARCHITECTURE DIAGRAM

I. Massing: The general massing was created from the available building area on the site, subtracted by an extended adjacent road for easy access to Monbijou Park.

II. Space Definition: Each program is defined according to the program functionality using the defined Conceptual Model.

III. Assembly: The defined program blocks are placed and assembled into a building according to the program analysis.