CHILDREN'S UNIVERSITY

I started my project by analyzing the surroundings and from the analysis and synthesis, we can see that the site is surrounded by formal educational buildings. Therefore, my Children’s University aims to create an informal program in a fun interesting building away from regularities and orderliness. In contrast to formal education which is all about individualism, my children’s university is about making students work help each other, and grow stronger together. On that account, a detailed program was created. The curriculum is about finishing few levels as I called them for them to graduate the university. The levels are simply games and activities that must be completed in a group such as escape room, huge puzzle , crafting, and reading stories …On top of this, my projects also aim to integrate the neighborhood's elderly. According to the data gathered, the elderly in this neighborhood are numerous, and their daily activities consist of simply sitting on benches and playing card or table games. Why not bring their activities inside the building and give them more activities to do, such as talking to kids and reading stories to them? 

 

Furthermore, the site itself is an important green area full of big trees. Therefore the second aim of my building is to reserve the big important trees and design the building according to their location. Therefore the building is designed in an organic shape that flows around the trees. 

Moreover, the building is designed into 3 parts, a children’s building, a staff building, and common areas. The buildings are built with a contract of configuration, The children’s university is open and no separation walls only if needed such as in the napping space. On the other hand, the staff’s building is more closed, with offices and meeting rooms and other facilities.  

Moreover, The facade’s configuration is one of the main points of the projects . The outer facades are more decorated, interesting, and eye-catching, however, the inner ones are more simple, same material used which is a natural stone similar to the ones in AGU.  

For the outer facade, they are well thought according to their functions. 

1-As mentioned before the building’s aim is for children to grow together and the structure is to reserve trees, therefore trees are a key point in this project. Hence the facade layout has few branch-looking wooden tiles as decorating and shading elements. 

2-The layout of the facade varies depending on the inner space's function. Glass is used more frequently in open spaces. As a result, the open spaces, such as the gathering areas, have wooden branch-like tiles on their facade. The vertical wooden tiles are used in the more close spaces such as the open library m on top of that the less space between the tiles indicates the closer the spaces become. 

 

The last point to mention is the project's name, Sherman Tree University. This tree is the world's largest and strongest tree, and I named the university after it because it represents how strong the children's bonds will be with one another after they graduate.