OCR Text |
Show Build Schools Children Like, Architect Says "We're learning to put up school buildings for the children, not for the school board." That optimistic observation on school design comes from Ben John Small, partner in LaPierre, Litchfield & Partners, a New York architectural firm with considerable considera-ble experience in school work. "The whole purpose of a school building should be to make it easier eas-ier for children to learn the three R's " Mr. Small says. "Fortunately, that idea is gaining wide acceptance, accep-tance, and the structure that is largely a fortress of learning, or a monument to the school board, is being replaced. "Institutionalized school build-ines build-ines are too abrupt a change from the child's home. They form a cold environment for the child and are an obstacle to learning. Mr. Small says that in its meaning mean-ing to a child a school building should provide a "gentle transition" transi-tion" between home life and schoo life Terrain permitting, Mr. Small himself likes to design schools that spread out "campus style, with a number of one- and two-story two-story units that fit into a residen-tial residen-tial community, rather than one large, ponderous building that d0ASnschotol building should be akin to the home in detail as well as in architectural form, the architect ar-chitect believes. For instance, he specifies wood windows "for wood is in tune with the domestic character cha-racter we want. Carried into the school it adds to familiarity and ease and consequent receptiveness to learning. From an architectural standpoint, the narrow sash and frame members of ponderosa pine window units satisfy modern design de-sign objectives." The small units of a campus-style campus-style school contribute to proper lighting and acoustics, Mr Small points out. He explains that by Breaking the school up into individual indi-vidual buildings, classroom unite, labs auditorium, lunchroom faculty fac-ulty rooms, gymnasium and offices, offi-ces, the architect can situate each unit so that it gets natural light. Noisy areas, such as the gym, can be kept distant ifrom classrooms. Another advantage of smaller buildngs, he says, is that in case of fire or other emergency pupils can be evacuated more quickly. |