We have designed a number of projects for use by the community.  These include school projects, recreation projects and other public facilities.  We believe that the best community projects  promote human interaction within an atmosphere of comfort and safety through the scale of the building elements, the proportions and interconnections of the spaces, and the colors and textures in the environment as revealed by natural and artificial lighting. 

In all of our adult memories, the places where we received our education stand out in our memories.  These can be positive or negative memories, depending partly upon whether those places were friendly environments with happy learning experiences or harsh, impersonal environments where we felt little sense of community.  When buildings lack a hierarchical spatial order people feel disconnected from each other and lack a feeling of belonging.  Such poor environments are frequently characterized by features such as hard surfaces, poor lighting and sterile decor.  A good learning environment provides a sense of place within a larger supporting community and avoids distractions caused by psychological or physical discomfort.

In educational projects, the age of the students determines the appropriate scale of the architecture.  Small children who are stepping away from their homes for the first time need familiar features in their first school environments in order to feel a sense of comfort and belonging.  I believe that childhood facilities, especially, should feel residential in scale, with familiar materials and architectural elements.  Easy connections to the outdoors through operable windows, porches and skylights are also important.

In all spaces used by groups of people,  careful attention to the scale and proportion is needed to create spaces where people are comfortable within their community.  In public spaces, people like to feel connected but not crowded.  They like to see how individual spaces are connected to a whole environment.  Proportion, material, color and lighting give cues as to the nature of the environment and the activities it is meant to support.

University Projects

Emerson Waldorf High School Addition

Montessori Community School Classroom Building

The Art Center

Community Centers

Carrboro Farmers’ Market

Episcopal Farm Workers

Ministry