THE INTENT

The goal of this project is to create an architectural experience that forces the children and the community to engage with nature; the building exposes the elements of nature both while on the inside, as well as you progress through the site landscape. The interior of the building acts as a frame for the landscape elements, and the exterior landscaping frames the building. The sequence of progression on the site sets up a narrative of how the building fits naturally into the entire scheme and respects the natural elements of the site. This interconnectivity forces the users to think about the impacts our actions as a society have on our environment.

The structure for the active solar strategies, being the photovoltaic panels and the evacuated tube solar thermal panels, is literally separated from the building so that it acts as a frame for the building, while simultaneously providing a cheaply and easily changed support system for rapidly changing technologies. The lack of structural connection between the building and structure for the solar technologies provides not only the practical function of easily expanding or changing the structure and relevant technologies; but it also provides the architectonic symbolism of not limiting the building to the current day’s technologies and procedures.