The first WeGrow school in New York City, created from a collaboration between BIG and WeWork, is a 10,000-sf space for children between the ages of three and nine located in WeWork’s HQ in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.
The school was designed “for learning to be a transformational and holistic experience,” according it BIG. It features a field of super-elliptic objects with a variety of functions that allows children to move freely throughout the day and to learn from the environment around them. The school includes four classrooms, flexible workshops, community space, a multi-purpose studio, an art studio, a music room, and a variety of playscapes.
Image by Dave Burk.
See Also: The Alphabet of Light: A to Z from BIG
The majority of the partitions inside the school are shelves raised to the level of the child in order to allow natural light to reach deep into the building. The different shelving levels for each age group curve occasionally to create activity pockets while still allowing the teachers to have full perspective of the space. Overhead, acoustic clouds are illuminated with Ketra bulbs that shift in color and intensity based on the time of day.
Image by Laurian Ghinitoiu.
Learning stations feature details and materials designed to optimize the environment: modular classrooms promote movement and collaboration, puzzle tables and chairs manufactured by Bednark Studio come in kid and parent sizes to offer equal perspectives, and the vertical garden with tiles made in Switzerland by Laufen are planted with lavender, sweet violets, and chocolate mint among others. BIG’s Gople Lamp and Alphabet of Light illuminate the path from the lobby (shared by teachers, parents, and children) to the classrooms.
Image by Laurian Ghinitoiu.
Image by Dave Burk.
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