Yeshiva Elementary

Narratives

Architect Narrative

BRINGING EXEMPLARY IDEAS TO AN INTENSELY TRADITIONAL SCHOOL

Tevye, the beloved dairyman of the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” sings about tradition, and explains that without their traditions, he and the other villagers would find their lives “as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.” Tevye is referring to a small Jewish village of Anatevka, Russia, in 1905, but he might just as well be singing about a small community of orthodox Jews in the upper Midwest in 2002. This little community of modern-day orthodox all live within walking distance of the Synagogue and school. They are fiercely protective of their traditions and equally passionate about their children’s education.

Tradition called for an intensely Jewish education, protected from the television-entwined values of the public system. The original school was converted from a Synagogue in 1989. Additional classrooms were carved out of an adjacent grocery store a few years later. When the architect arrived on the scene in 1999, there was an aura of noisy restlessness in the cramped facility. The Rabbi/Principal demonstrated how boys were literally climbing the walls in one of the corridors, by wedging their hands and feet between the two sides of the exit way (see photo of the rabbi climbing in “1st Questions” page). The school decided to expand to the West, purchasing an adjacent residence to be demolished, and securing permission from the city to take over the alley between the school and residence.

Not surprisingly, the first question asked of the architect was: “how may classrooms can you fit on the site?” The architect answered the question with a set of his own questions. He met with each class and assigned homework to all of the students and staff members. Each participant was asked to describe five learning (or sharing/teaching) experiences that were important to him/her:
1. Who do you learn with?
2. What do you learn?
3. Where do you learn?
4. When do you learn?
5. How do you learn?

Out of these answers came the exemplary ideas that enhance learning.

WE LOVE TO MAKE CHALLAH!
After reading over the homework assignments, it was apparent that this community loved to cook. Two of the teachers reported taking their classes home with them to prepare Challah, a loaf of yeast-leavened egg bread, usually braided, and traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath, holidays, and other ceremonial occasions. Boys were as enthusiastic as girls about cooking. This passion translated into small common areas that combined space for cooking, meeting and study. The boy’s kitchen/commons area is located off a sky lighted hall that was fashioned out of the leftover space between the Synagogue and the grocery store. The girl’s kitchen/commons is located on the 2nd floor over looking the atrium.

LET THERE BE LIGHT AND A PLACE TO PLAY
All of the teachers begged for more light. Students and staff alike wanted a variety of indoor play spaces. A long, cold winter left many days that are difficult for outdoor activities; additionally, there was not enough land for both indoor and outdoor play spaces. These considerations resulted in the design of a 20-foot by 20-foot wide atrium at the center of the three-story addtion. The building was stepped down from three stories on the north side to two stories on the south side, in order to maximize the light penetrating to the first floor. The atrium became the playground for younger children, freeing up more space in the gymnasium (formerly the Synagogue) for older children.

WE WANT INDIVIDUAL CLASSROOMS – CAN WE HAVE VARIETY IN SPACES TOO?
Both leadership and staff felt strongly that traditional classrooms with closable doors were important to support their curriculum, and the site didn’t allow for sizable common areas serving a variety of groups within the K-8 school. However, the three-story form lent itself to clustering spaces on each level. At the entry level, the atrium playground serves as a unifying commons for kindergarten and grade 1, and at that age, some might argue that play is the single most important “work” to be performed. On the second level, the south side of the atrium includes a commons space with an adjacent kitchen that serves as a unifying commons for grades 2 – 5. The 3rd level includes a small technology and meeting area for 6th, 7th and 8th graders – a middle school transition to more adult pursuits. A roof garden on the 3rd level provides precious outdoor space for all to share.

All of the classrooms contain an “L” shape or angular bay to create niches and breakaway spaces. The ceiling is lowered at the bay windows to enhance the sense that the space is special, creating a feeling of intimacy for small groups. Most of the learning spaces include doors to adjacent rooms, allowing classes to share resources and activities. The classrooms are considerably smaller than the typical new public school classrooms. Three factors prevent the classrooms from suffering because of a diminuative size: a) most classes include 15 students or less, b) the bays and niches create a sense of a variety and complexity in the spaces, and c) direct/indirect pendant lights are adjusted for 60% uplight and 40% downlight, resulting in a bright ceiling and a sense of spaciousness.

LESSONS LEARNED
In a rush to prepare the school for a September 2001 opening, furnishings were ordered for the classrooms, but not the boy’s kitchen/commons area and girls 2nd floor kitchen/commons area; this was corrected later on in the year, but it reminded the architect of an important lesson for designers that are focused on innovative uses of space – the people using the facility need help furnishing and using new kinds of spaces. While the common areas were appealing, they were, to some extent, extra spaces to the staff, and without clear ownership. The principal and architect had talked about the importance of teacher training during the early part of the schematic design process, but nothing was put in place to ensure that teacher training would be provided for in conjuction with the new facility.

The architect is reminded of a lesson he learned from one of the SCN and Design Share awards reviewers, who explained that the best way to help teachers use their new, innovative spaces, is to have the architect help them arrange the furniture the week before school starts. The cost for this kind of follow-up involvement is minimal, and could be tied in with a “commissioning” budget, that is, funds set aside to make sure that the environment is performing up to its goals in terms of energy usage, maintenance and the enhancement of learning.

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EXCERPT from a NEWSPAPER REVIEW by an ARCHITECTURAL CRITIC

“The architect, a national innovator in school design, softened the mass by breaking up the new addition into zigzag bays, their three-story facades alternating in red and blond brick, to match the neighboring buildings; he stepped down the section closest to the homes to two stories. With its generous windows and rhythmic angularity, the addition is jazzy in a gentle, street-friendly way. And, in contrast to all those retro buildings with faux-historical references, this one reflects its own time and place.

There’s also a three-story, sky lighted atrium overlooking a balconied, indoor playground. With sun pouring in from the atrium, from sidelight panels next to the doors and from windows in the angled bays, the classrooms welcome in the outdoors like an old friend. …Besides light, the interior owes much of its appeal to an explosion of color - 22 separate colors, to be exact, ranging from warm terra cotta (in the sky lighted corridor) to pale lavender, vivid orchid and grass green in the halls and classrooms.

Now, let the users weigh in. ‘It’s a child’s dream,’ says a teacher. “A teacher’s, too,” says one of her colleagues. ‘The kids like the playground so much we can’t get rid of them at the end of the day!’ The school’s principal says the sunny setting “puts everyone in a good mood. They’re more happy, yet more serious about learning.’

In the play area below, little boys in yarmulkes tumble down a curvy, bright blue slide, shrieking with delight.

A lot of architects would kill for raves like that.”