Curved walls and clover-leafed awnings, shaped windows, cedar-shingled exteriors, skylights, and wider-than-expected halls–not the look of your usual school. These visionary touches lead a visitor irresistibly from the sunny entrance to a double classroom/ auditorium where the hand-built windows reach to the floor, allowing small children at their desks a view of the woods outside. This organic architecture is reminiscent of the Barcelona master, Antoni Gaudi, who Waldorf School designer and builder Micha Edelstein admits as an influence. Micha is himself a graduate of a Waldorf School (in Ontario) so he thinks outside the box. He literally does because there are no box shapes in evidence in his design. Most impressive is how the new construction links to and complements the existing 1950s-era schoolhouse. If it’s a revolution, it’s a quiet revolution, full of peace and light.
Micha stayed at the Centre by the Sea as artist-in-residence for several months through the winter and spring of 2020, while working on the nearby school. It was a pleasure having Micha around, sharing ideas about future visions, while solving immediate, practical problems–like erecting a deer fence for our garden. Any conversation with Micha invariably touches on quality of life and care of the spirit.
The Waldorf School design is a brilliant example of this ethos, with its spacious light-drenched rooms and natural look. I’m writing this on the first day back to school, after four months of quarantine. Our communities need to heal, parents need a break and children need stimulation and fellowship. As we overcome our fears and reconnect with others, having space and resources for learning is an important step along this path.