Adrien Fera, Maxwell Steppuhn
Niche
Adrien Fera, Maxwell Steppuhn
Niche
Niche
→ ARCH 393
About
Niche is a school situated on Woodbine Beach intended for 240 children ages 1-12, that supports up to 50 disabled students. The program includes a daycare, two clusters of Montessori classrooms, and a double cohort of classes for grades 5 & 6 to assist in transitioning to the TDSB curriculum. To enable the Montessori teaching style, Niche provides three interconnected classrooms, the Lab, Listening Space and Quiet Space, which possess different spatial and sensorial qualities that cater to different learning styles and environmental needs. These three spaces connect to a niche which signifies the central access point from the corridor, creating a consistent volume with an exterior courtyard classroom.
Niche takes a universal design approach that aims to serve the greatest number of people, no matter the nature of disability. The curvilinear circulation separates the specialty programs on the interior of the courtyard, from the classrooms on the exterior, allowing for ease of navigation. Wayfinding is a main design driver and focus of Niche, using a combination of visual cues, light, volume, auditory cues, and materiality to provide a consistent language of space. Compartmentalization strategies separate loud spaces from quiet spaces with intentional gradients of transitional space in between.
About
Niche is a school situated on Woodbine Beach intended for 240 children ages 1-12, that supports up to 50 disabled students. The program includes a daycare, two clusters of Montessori classrooms, and a double cohort of classes for grades 5 & 6 to assist in transitioning to the TDSB curriculum. To enable the Montessori teaching style, Niche provides three interconnected classrooms, the Lab, Listening Space and Quiet Space, which possess different spatial and sensorial qualities that cater to different learning styles and environmental needs. These three spaces connect to a niche which signifies the central access point from the corridor, creating a consistent volume with an exterior courtyard classroom.
Niche takes a universal design approach that aims to serve the greatest number of people, no matter the nature of disability. The curvilinear circulation separates the specialty programs on the interior of the courtyard, from the classrooms on the exterior, allowing for ease of navigation. Wayfinding is a main design driver and focus of Niche, using a combination of visual cues, light, volume, auditory cues, and materiality to provide a consistent language of space. Compartmentalization strategies separate loud spaces from quiet spaces with intentional gradients of transitional space in between.
Niche takes a universal design approach that aims to serve the greatest number of people, no matter the nature of disability. The curvilinear circulation separates the specialty programs on the interior of the courtyard, from the classrooms on the exterior, allowing for ease of navigation. Wayfinding is a main design driver and focus of Niche, using a combination of visual cues, light, volume, auditory cues, and materiality to provide a consistent language of space. Compartmentalization strategies separate loud spaces from quiet spaces with intentional gradients of transitional space in between.