Page 58 - Spring_2018

ArchDC Spring 2018.qxp_Fall 2017 2/22/18 9:14 AM Page 56

“Despite Rusty’s promises, I couldn’t understand
how there was going to be natural light throughout the
building,” said Lindsay Trout, the school’s principal,
noting that a lack of natural light was a major drawback
of the original design. “He insisted that when natural
light from the sides of the building faded, the light from
the atrium would then be very present. This is exactly
the case.”
What isn’t clearly captured in photos of the project,
Shaw said, “is the effect that moving into a recently
renovated facility has on staff, teachers, parents, and of
course the students,” a point underscored by Trout.
“Almost 40% of our student population receives free or
reduced meals, and many of them have never had anything
new in their lives,” she said. “Their clothes are hand-
me-downs, their furniture and toys from yard sales.
When I had the unforgettable honor of walking one class
after the next into the new building for the first time,
students exclaimed things like, ‘This is for us?’ and ‘Wow,
this is like a real library!’ and ‘Everything looks so clean
and shiny.’”
As now renovated, she continued, Terraset “is full of
opportunities for our students, because of the design.
Classroom activities and excited learners can easily
overflow into the resource spaces throughout the building.
Classes can combine and do larger group activities in
the atrium, on the green roof, or in any of our outdoor
teaching spaces.”
Although debates about achieving success in education
often focus on things like curricula and pedagogical
Library (above) and roof terrace (below) at Terraset Elementary.
techniques, the design of the school building itself is an
important factor. “The physical space where a child
develops—or doesn’t develop—a love of learning is
critical,” Trout said. “And the physical space where
underappreciated and underpaid educators commit
their lives to children plays a huge role in the stamina
and attitude of teachers. When students and teachers
have a building they can be excited about and proud of
every single day, conditions are prime for potentials to
be reached.”
“My favorite part of the design,” Shaw said, “is the
entry into the school—the bridge, the canopy, the solid
entry wall and the open two-story lobby. It captures the
entire education process from being on the outlier of
knowledge to crossing the bridges and barriers then
arriving into the light of knowledge. I like the feeling of
walking toward the large monolithic wall and emerging
into the light, airy two-story main lobby.”
The new Terraset “has had a profound impact on the
attitude of staff and the pride that families and staff have
in their school,” Trout said, adding that it “is a gift to 554
children and 100 staff members every single day. The
design of this building is extraordinary, from the large
aspects to the tiny details. I could go on and on about this
place—my gratitude could never be fully expressed.”

56 REFRESHER COURSE