Chinatown montessori

2016

Student
Designer

Replacing a large vacant lot bound by the CTA tracks nearby, the new school was inspired by a dog-trot house with a large underground bypass. The form itself spirals towards a rooftop playground with all of the active spaces on bottom to be used by the community.

Each classroom would get access to a private green space with a shared glass corridor bringing light in. The exterior is clad with vertical fins that also frame out the rooftop safety netting.

Illinois Institute of Technology

School program diagram

White - residential | red - cultural | gray - commercial

Program adjacency matrix

Classroom spacing diagrams

School program and form diagram

Floor plans

Section through classrooms and passageway

Section through auditorium and classrooms