LEARNING BY DESIGN magazine - St. Martin's Episcopal School Early Learning Center

Site Plan of St. Martin's Episcopal School Campus
Playspace Site Plan located at plan north of Early Learning Center
Upper Level
Lower Level
The ultimate outdoor playspace for any child. Each element was carefully crafted to inspire creativity and learning.
At night, the Science Lab becomes a jewelbox that is easily visible from the street.
The new Science Lab allows students to Explore, Investigate, and Ask Questions with space for animals and creatures, a demonstration station and “messy” learning areas.
A new Tinkerlab space will bridge the realm between art and science to create an Early Childhood S.T.E.A.M village.
The treehouse unites the existing and new building. It's tactile walls, chalkboards, and shadowboxes provoke curiosity and provide an engaging spot for breakout activities.
Nestlike nooks give students a fun spot to wait for pickup or while their parents speak with staff.
The lower lobby and corridor are a journey through the forest floor, with light shared through the glass floors from the treetop level above
Both the multi-purpose spaces and indoor classrooms include seamless transparent visual and physical links to thoughtfully designed exterior spaces through strategically placed glass garage doors.
The Art Studio filled with supplies and a kiln features a storefront highly visible from the corridor, so people can see students' creativity at work.
This unique learning environment is supported by roof-top cisterns that channel rainwater into the classroom’s “zoo”. An oculus offers optimal daylighting conditions.
@2019 Jim Roof Creative Photography
@2019 Jim Roof Creative Photography
@2019 Jim Roof Creative Photography

Following the devastation of a fire, the St. Martin’s community reacted with a commitment to rebuild a replacement “wing” and to expand the building to further embrace the school’s curriculum supporting active, hands-on learning.

Key building elements include: a new science lab involving space for animals and creatures, a teacher’s demonstration station, “messy” learning areas and a hydro station for hand-on exploration, a new daylight Art Lab to stimulate natural curiosity, and a new Tinkerlab space that will bridge the realm between art and science to create an Early Childhood S.T.E.A.M. village. Inspired by award-winning outdoor learning curriculum, the new ELC is tied to nature both directly and thematically. Envisioned as a journey through a forest, nestlike seating windows on both levels offer a quiet spot for students to read, as well as a visual connection from the corridor through the classroom and out into the playspaces beyond.

“The new space will be a model for student-centered learning and will bring an unimaginable range of learning opportunities to the Early Childhood students at St. Martin’s,” said Luis Ottley. “It will enhance the foundation for lifelong learning that has long been a core competency at SMES.”

St. Martin's Episcopal School Early Learning Center

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Project Location:
Atlanta, GA

Architecture Firm
Collins Cooper Carusi Architects, Inc
Atlanta,Georgia
collinscoopercarusi.com
https://www.facebook.com/collinscoopercarusi/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collins-cooper-carusi-architects/
https://twitter.com/cccarchitects

Photography By:
@2019 Jim Roof Creative Photography

St. Martin's Episcopal School Early Learning Center

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