We came to the conclusion that instead of having on central courtyard or individual for each classroom, that it is best to combine them together. We believe, this "circular" strategy will create less hierarchy between the 4 schools (or school as an entirety) by having views between classrooms and a school-wide gathering space at the center. We are also getting a maximum amount of light into each individual classroom (which was one of our goals). In addition we have created a sensible/efficient arrangement of shared and individual spaces.
At this point, we are splitting up again and creating iterations of this arrangement in physical and digital models. These models will also start to get at the darker and lighter programs not mentioned above (i.e. cafe, library, dark labs, light labs, gyms, outdoor rec, etc.).
I think the strategy is a very good one but it also biases the school / program over the site. To be more specific by site, I mean the urban context (the city). You could say it is very focused on the site (solar, north, south). I am curious how you might blend the solar strategy to an idea about the street / sidewalk / entry / experience, which does not allow for a symetrical and centralized approach. Looking forward to our next conversation.
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