UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

Date: 7-Apr-2010

I, Christopher S Jolley ,
hereby submit this original work as part of the requirements for the degree of:
Master of Architecture
in Architecture (Master of)
It is entitled:
Waldorf Architecture: A Pedagogy's Relation to Design

Student Signature: Christopher S Jolley

This work and its defense approved by:

Committee Chair: Aarati Kanekar, PhD
Aarati Kanekar, PhD

George Bible, MCiv.Eng

George Bible, MCiv.Eng

5/26/2010 702
Waldorf Architecture
A Pedagogy’s Relation to Design

A Thesis Submitted to:

Graduate School of the
University of Cincinnati
on 05/23/10

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of:

Master of Architecture
in the School of Architecture and Interior Design
of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning

Christopher Jolley
B.S. Architecture, University of Cincinnati

Committee Chairs:
Aarati Kanekar, Ph.D.
George Thomas Bible, MCiv. Eng
Abstract

How can school architecture respond to and support the pedagogy

that takes place within it? The Waldorf philosophy is one of the fastest

growing educational movements in the world and the schools are typically

run as private institutions. There is no established architectural model

for a Waldorf School in the United States that caters to the pedagogy.

The pedagogy has strong convictions on how best to foster the student’s

development and architecture can serve to strengthen that approach.

This thesis investigates the philosophy of the Waldorf school to

determine the implications it has on the built form. The pedagogy will

be broken down into its main components to determine appropriate

architectural responses to each. Studies of designed and built Waldorf

schools, the Cincinnati Waldorf School, along with non-Waldorf schools

will inform design decisions with the intent of creating a design that

supports the functions of a Waldorf school and enhances the pedagogy.

The design will utilize a site in Worthington, Ohio, a northern suburb

of Columbus, as a model for how to design a Waldorf School influenced

by the pedagogy. The pedagogy provides both direct and indirect

architectural implications that can strengthen the design. The design will
be represented in a series of drawings, a model, and through writing.


ii
TableTable
of Contents
of Contents
Introduction iii
Abstract i
Abstract iv
List of Illustrations iv
1 Ohio School History 2

Introduction viii
2 Waldorf Education Development 10

1
Rudolf Steiner 10
History
The First of OhioSchool
Waldorf School Buildings 11 1

32 Waldorf
Aspects Education
of the Development
Pedagogy 13 8

head, Introduction
heart, & hand 13 8

grade Rudolf Steiner
school teacher 14 9
classroom
Steiner
as community 15 9
as Architect

main The First Waldorf School
lesson 17 11
lesson books 18
3 Aspects ofofthe
importance Pedagogy
nature 20 12

inclusion of the arts
Introduction 22 12
role
of Part
music
to Whole: Head, Heart, & Hand 23 12
eurythmy
Community Leader 25 15
Classroom as Community
handwork 27 17
Mainfestivals
children’s Lesson: Development of a Topic 29 20
curriculum
Lesson Books: Personal Reflection of Knowledge
30 21
Importance of Nature 22
Inclusion of the Arts 26
4 Project
Role of Music
36
27
Regional
Context
Eurythmy 36 30
Site
Context
Handwork 36 32
Design
Intervention
Children’s Festivals: Gathering of the Communites 34 39
A Review of the Waldorf Curriculum 37
Bibliography
Diagram of Architectural Principles 40 41
4 Project 44
Regional Context 44
Site Context 44
Design Intervention 47

Bibliography 51

iii
List of Illustrations

1.1 Reverend Thomas’s Select School, 1819

McCormick, Virginia E. Educational Architecture in Ohio From One-Room Schools and
Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages. New York: Kent State UP, 2001. 31

1.2 Washington Height’s School, 1873

McCormick, Virginia E. Educational Architecture in Ohio From One-Room Schools and
Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages. New York: Kent State UP, 2001. 34

1.3 Outhwaite and Case, 1874-76

McCormick, Virginia E. Educational Architecture in Ohio From One-Room Schools and
Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages. New York: Kent State UP, 2001. 50

1.4 Campbell Street School, 1885-86

McCormick, Virginia E. Educational Architecture in Ohio From One-Room Schools and
Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages. New York: Kent State UP, 2001. 52

1.5 Lincoln Elementary School

McCormick, Virginia E. Educational Architecture in Ohio From One-Room Schools and
Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages. New York: Kent State UP, 2001. 60

2.1 Second Goetheanum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Goetheanum_Dornach.jpg

3.1 Orjan School Site Plan

Coates, Gary. Erik Asmussen, Architect. Stockholm: Byggförlagte, 1997. 28

3.2 Sliding Classroom Door at Kaneyama Junior High School

Educational Facilities: New Concepts in Architecture & Design. Tokyo, Japan: Meisei
Publications, 1994. 88

3.3 Dry Water Channel at Nijo Castle

Author

3.4 Filled Water Channel at Kyoto Imperial Palace

Author

3.5 Teacher as Community Leader

Author

3.6 Class gathering on the floor for a story

Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 11

3.7 Fourth Grade Classroom

Author

3.8 Eighth Grade Classroom

Author

3.9 Freie Waldorfschule Ground Floor Plan

Blundell, Jones Peter. Peter Hübner: Bauen Als Ein Socialer Prozess = Building as a
Social Process. Stuttgart: Edition Axel Menges, 2007. 188

3.10 Student Drawing in Lesson Book with Crayon

iv
Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 12

3.11 Students Visiting a Cattle Farm

Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 15

3.12 Orjan School Nature Diagram

Coates, Gary. Erik Asmussen, Architect. Stockholm: Byggförlagte, 1997. 28

3.13 Freie Waldorfschule Central Atrium

Blundell, Jones Peter. Peter Hübner: Bauen Als Ein Socialer Prozess = Building as a
Social Process. Stuttgart: Edition Axel Menges, 2007. 188

3.14 Fuji Kindergarten Aerial

“Kindergaten in Tokio.” Detail (2008) V.3: 187-99. 191

3.15 Tree Penetrating Through the Space

Gregory, Bob. “Learning Curve.” Architectural Review Aug (2007): 32-39. 39

3.16 Columns Mimicking the Form of Trees

Blundell, Jones Peter. Peter Hübner: Bauen Als Ein Socialer Prozess = Building as a
Social Process. Stuttgart: Edition Axel Menges, 2007. 261

3.17 Young Student Working with Water Colors

Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 11

3.18 Violin Rehearsal During Music Class

Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 13

3.19 Parthenon in Athens Greece

Moffet, Marian, Michael Fazio, and Lawrence Wodehouse. Buildings Across Time: An
Introduction to World Architecture. New York: McGraw Hill, 2004. 52

3.20 Unite d’Habitation

Moffet, Marian, Michael Fazio, and Lawrence Wodehouse. Buildings Across Time: An
Introduction to World Architecture. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. 528

3.21 Students Using Rods During Eurythmy Class

Carlgren, Frans. Education Towards Freedom. Edinburgh: Floris, 2008. 79

3.22 Diagram of Volumetric Experiences

Author

3.23 Student Using Wood Needles to Knit a Scarf

Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 13

3.24 Play Performance During a Festival

Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. 14

3.25 Interior of Auditorium by Erik Asmussen

Coates, Gary. Erik Asmussen, Architect. Stockholm: Byggförlagte, 1997. 117

3.26 Curriculum Map

Author

3.27 Part to Whole Relationship
Author

3.28 Classroom as Community

Author

3.29 Bring Nature into the Classroom

Author

3.30 Golden Ration, a proportioning system

Ching, Francis D.K. Architecture, Form, Space, and Order. New York: John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., 1996. 287

3.31 Different Ways to Experience Space

Author

3.32 Gathering of the Communities

Author

4.1 Site Map with Surrounding Building Types

Author

4.2 Site Plan

Author

4.3 Building Sections

Author

4.4 First Floor Plan

Author

4.5 Second Floor Plan

Author

vi
Waldorf education places the development of the individual child in the
focal point, convinced that the healthy individual is a prerequisite for a
healthy society

¾The International Conference on Education of UNESCO

 Jack Petrash, Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside Out (New
York: Gryphon House, 2002) 11
vii
Introduction

In the State of Ohio, and across the nation, the way children have

been taught has gone through several changes over the past 150 years.

The schools started out as a single room where one teacher instructs all

age groups at the same time. As the population grew, the students could

be taught with others of the same age group. To meet the demand of

a greater student population, multi-room union schools were built in the

major cities of Ohio. The rooms did not necessarily cater to the pedagogy,

but to the need for more space. In many cases, the union schools

followed the architectural style of the time and became landmarks in the

community.

However, as the system has developed, numerous rules and

regulations have been put into place that greatly impacts the way

schools are designed and operated. In most instances, the building has

become a simple, cheap, and unattractive structure catering to cost and

maintenance concerns. The rules for designing a school in Ohio are

laid out in the Ohio School Design Manual published by the Ohio School

Facilities Commission. The manual does not address concerns about the

philosophy or pedagogy of the school and that is what this thesis seeks to

explore.

To explore the relationship between pedagogy and its architectural

design implications, the thesis will investigate Waldorf education. The

reason being, that Waldorf education has a very specific philosophy to

relate to and according to the Association of Waldorf Schools of North

America, Waldorf education “Is the fastest growing educational movement

in the world.” For most Waldorf schools in the United States of America,

they are occupying existing structures not designed specifically for their

needs. Typically these are either old Catholic schools or vacated public

school buildings. As more students join the Waldorf movement, a greater

viii
need will arise for buildings to be designed to relate the pedagogy to

the building. The underlying assumption in this thesis is that having

a structure designed to support and reflect the school’s pedagogy will

have a positive impact on teaching and learning, and provide for a more

meaningful environment.

The thesis will culminate in the design of a Waldorf grade school,

which is first through eighth grades, in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio.

Currently, the closest Waldorf grade schools to the Columbus metropolitan

region are in Cincinnati and Akron, and they have been in operation

since 1973 and 1981, respectively. Waldorf Education Columbus is

an established group committed to bringing a Waldorf Grade School

to Columbus. The group has successfully established the Briar Rose

Children’s Center, a Waldorf pre-school, in the community south of my

proposed site. With the large growth in Waldorf education and Waldorf

Education Columbus’ commitment, the desire to have a school in the

Columbus area is imminent.

 “Why Waldorf Works,” Association of Waldorf Schools of North America http://www.

whywaldorfworks.org (accessed November 20, 2009)
 “Waldorf Education Columbus,” Waldorf Education Columbus http://www.waldorfedu-
cationcolumbus.org (accessed January 5, 2010)
ix

 1
History of Ohio School Buildings

Elementary schools serve a very important function in American

society. They provide free education to the young members of the

community so that they may become active and productive members

of the population. The early years of child’s life are the most formative

and the environment in which they develop can have a drastic impact on

their life. The architecture of these schools in Ohio have been through

many transformations since their inception. They have become rooted

in the pride and identity of communities throughout the state and signal

the economic and cultural value of those communities. The following

investigation is derived mostly from Educational Architecture in Ohio:

From One-Room Schools and Carnegie Libraries to Community Education

Villages by Virginia E. McCormick.

Education in the state of Ohio existed before the state was formed.

Teaching the youth is seen as a critical tool in promoting democracy. As

such, education was tied to the development of the Northwest Territory.

The Continental Congress proclaimed, “Religion, morality, and knowledge

being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind,

schools and the means of education shall be forever encouraged”. In the

1790s, As the Northwest territory was being divided, land was set aside

specifically for public schools.

The education system in Ohio started out as subscription schools

were parents had to pay for their children to attend. School was

1.1 Reverend conducted for eight to twelve week terms in winter or summer between
Thomas’s Select
School, 1819 spring planting and autumn harvest. They were located in moderate log

cabin structures that housed all ages in one space. The gaps between

logs were filled with mud and required constant maintenance because of

the constant swelling and shrinking of the logs. In some cases the floor

was nothing more than dirt, but it usually was a puncheon floor of split

logs. To heat the space in the winter months, a fieldstone fireplace was

located opposite of the entry and was not very efficient.

In 1808 the Ohio legislature official chartered the first academies in

Dayton, Chillicothe, and Worthington. The communities in which these

academies were located strived for a classical education beyond the

basics of reading, writing, and math. The buildings were more permanent

brick structures with multiple rooms and typically two floors. In the

beginning there were not enough students to use all of the space, so the

upper floor would be rented out.

The education of all children was not common until 1825, when

Ohio passed legislation establishing a property tax to support public

schools. The legislation required townships throughout the state to form

school districts with boards elected by local voters. However, the money

obtained through the taxes were not enough to build schools and pay

teachers, so many communities had to construct their own one-room 1.2 Washington
Height’s School,
schools. Gradually a network of one-room schools was built within a two- 1873

mile distance from every student. By World War I, half of the children in

the United States were enrolled in one-room schools and Ohio had nearly

ten thousand of them.

Most of the schoolhouses were stick constructed with only a

few being built out of brick. Their numbers increased after extensive

school legislation was passed in 1853 subsequent to a revision of

Ohio’s Constitution. By the end of the nineteenth century, one-room

schoolhouses became synonymous with country schools. This was due

to the precedent set under the Akron Act of 1847. The City of Akron’s

population was increasing quickly and the children were being educated

in a variety of public and private schools. The act enabled the city to be

incorporated into a single district with taxes to support free education of all

youth. In the state’s largest cities, they had significant enough population

levels to house learning in Union Schools. These schools had individual

classrooms for each grade at five levels, primary, secondary, intermediate,

grammar, and high school. The advent of union schools enabled each

classroom to be focused on its specific grade level both physically and

pedagogically. The teacher became more specialized in the grade they


1.3 Outhwaite and were teaching and could focus on the specific developmental needs of
Case, 1874-76
that age group.

As the size of the schools changed, so did the architectural style.

Prior to the Civil War, the most popular designs were Italianate. With

the popularity of Henry Hobson Richardson’s designs in the 1890s, the

Romanesque style reigned supreme. By the early twentieth century, two-

story brick neoclassical buildings became the fashionable standard. The

design of schools have typically been concerned with the latest trends and

standards instead of being focused on what is the best environment for

the education of children.

Beyond the style of the architecture, there were also changes in the

layout of the plan. In the one-room school house, there were windows

on both sides of the space and as schools became larger, architects still

strived to have windows on more than one side of the space. However,

with the introduction of electric lighting, windows on only one side of the

classrooms were recommended. Also, kindergarten was introduced

to public schools in Cincinnati in 1905. This required a new type of

classroom design to be integrated with the others and kindergarten

classrooms were typically twice the size of the others.


 As school districts continued to grow by natural growth and annexing 1.4 Campbell Street
School, 1885-86
with neighboring schools or districts, their student population base would

rise. The higher student populations allowed districts to separate the

grade levels from the union schools into their own building. Elementary,

middle, and high school levels developed from the division of the union

schools. This can be seen as a similar occurrence to the development of

union schools. The initial growth and formation of school districts in urban

settings enabled the creating of large “one-room school houses”. The

education was still occurring in one building, but each grade now had its

own classroom.

The further division of the differing grade levels into their own

structures, provides designers with the opportunity to develop an entire

environment specific to the student’s needs. The entire environment can

be focused on what is best for a given age group. Included would be such

things as: curriculum, building scale, organization, space requirements,

materials, etc. The teachers and administrators are able to better serve

the students because the entire building houses similar age groups.

They are able to focus on the needs of a specific age group instead of

concerning themselves with the entire developmental process of the child.


1.5 Lincoln However, a districts focus is to see that their students are able
Elementary School
to graduate as knowledgeable and functioning citizens. The Ohio

Department of Education (ODE) has a vision that is reflective of what all

state’s school district’s vision should be. Their vision reads:

The State Board of Education’s vision is for all Ohio students to

graduate from the PK-12 education system with the knowledge,

skills and behaviors necessary to successfully continue

their education and/or be workforce ready and successfully

participate in the global economy as productive citizens.

Ultimately, all students will graduate well prepared for success.

Many districts echo these statements in their own vision statements

but also include ideas reflecting safe and supportive environments. The

primary education level serves as the beginning of the child’s process

to becoming a well-prepared graduate. The early years are the most

formative ones in determining who each child will become. The teachers

are not only there to educate, but are also there to serve as a role model

and a mentor. If the child has no one else to turn to in their life, they at

least have a teacher to go to who sees them most every day. School is

 “ODE – State Board of Education Vision, Adopted September 2009,” Ohio Department
of Education, http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&Topi
cRelationID=574&ContentID=64269&Content=73929

meant to be a positive experience for younger children so that they may

desire to learn more as they grow.

Unfortunately, most students in Ohio grow up and learn in a school

building that is not supportive, bland, and uninspiring. The schools started

out as small well lit buildings and evolved into large structures that were

architecturally significant. Currently, most public schools are governed

by strict regulations enforced by the Ohio School Facilities Commission

(OSFC). OSFC limits the size of classrooms and other spaces along

with what materials and the overall cost of the structure can be. In most

cases their concerns stem from maintenance and cost issues as opposed

to focusing on creating a supportive environment for the children and the

teaching philosophy. Schools constructed today have been stripped down

to the basics in order to make them as cheap as possible. It is nearly

impossible to create a school that is architecturally significant and fosters

childhood development with the current system.

Designing a private school is the best way to get away from the

OSFC regulations. Since all of the money comes from private sources

and not tax dollars, a private school can be designed specifically to meet

its own needs. As “the fastest growing educational movement in the

world,” Waldorf education has great potential to grow in Ohio. There are

currently two private Waldorf grade schools in Ohio; one in Cincinnati and

one outside of Akron, they have been in operation since 1973 and 1981

respectively. In Columbus, there is a Waldorf pre-school established by

Waldorf Education Columbus, who has the intention of opening a Waldorf

grade school. Designing a Waldorf grade school provides the opportunity

to create a structure that is catered towards a specific pedagogy without

the limitations imposed by the OSFC.

 See Association of Waldorf Schools of North America

 Ibid
 See Waldorf Education Columbus

2
Waldorf Education Development
Introduction
Waldorf education was created in the early Twentieth Century as a

new way of educating children. The central idea behind its creation was to

create a curriculum that correlated to the development of the child as well

as to educate the whole child, being the head, the heart, and the hand.

Educating the entire child is meant to awaken the hidden abilities that lie

dormant within each child allowing them to see the strength, wisdom, and

enthusiasm within themselves. According to Rudolf Steiner, the creator of

Waldorf education, the aim is to “develop free human beings who are able

of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives.”

In the first grade, the class of students is formed and will remain

as the same group, including their teacher, through the end of the eighth

grade. This creates a community that is able to form bonds with each

other, with the central figure being the teacher. Unlike most public

schools, there is a strong emphasis on the arts as they are fully integrated

into the curriculum. Even in subjects like math and science, art and

creativity are incorporated. The pedagogy focuses on integrated different

subjects and skills to reinforce and strengthen each other.

 Rene M. Querido, Creativity in Education: The Waldorf Approach (San Francisco: Ru-
dolf Steiner College, 1996), 1-2
 Nick Lyons, Educating as an Art: Essays on Waldorf Education (New York: Rudolf
Steiner School, 2003), 23
 Francis Edmunds, Introduction to Steiner Education: The Waldorf School (New York:
Rudolf Steiner, 2004), 29
 See Petrash (2002), op. cit. 29

 Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner was born in 1861 in modern day Croatia. Prior to

developing Waldorf education, Steiner studied mathematics and science

at the Technical College at Vienna. During that time he studied Goethe’s

methods of scientific observation and was asked by a professor to

provide a commentary on Goethe’s works. In 1891, Steiner submitted his

thesis for a PhD on the theory of knowledge to Rostock University. After

leaving school, he became a tutor to a boy suffering from a hydrocephalic

condition that left the boy to be considered unable to be taught by several

specialists. After two years of tutoring with Steiner, the boy was able to

join peers of his own age group in a normal school and he eventually

became a medical doctor.

Steiner looked towards education as one of the primary methods in

developing a person and in shaping society.10 He saw education as one of

the greatest tools a society has at shaping their future. However, Steiner

believed that society’s youth should grow up free from the demands of the

society until they can take part in shaping it as an active citizen.

Steiner as Architect

Rudolf Steiner was never trained in the realm of architecture,

but that did not stop him from designing seventeen buildings and giving

numerous lectures on architecture. His most prominent buildings are the

first Goetheanum and the second Goetheanum, figure 2.1 (built to replace

the first one after being destroyed by arson). His designs are rather

sculptural in nature and intended to suggest the forms of nature without

 Frans Calrgren, Education Towards Freedom (Edinburgh: Floris, 2008), 9

10 Ibid 13

2.1 Second imitating them. In the same way, Steiner believed that a building should
Goetheanum
be in harmony with nature and its surrounding site.

Steiner felt that rectangular shaped spaces activated human

thinking and keeps it to rigid and linear. The space becomes about being

efficient and narrow minded. In contrast, he believed that circular spaces

elicit a more spiritual and heightened sense of feeling. The combination of

these two types of spaces, the thinking and the feeling, was what Steiner

was striving for in his architectural designs. Specifically in the design of

a school, the youngest grade’s room should be more rounded and almost

womb like. As the child gets older, the rooms would become less round

and more angular, just as capacity for thinking develops in the child, but

never abandoning feeling.11

11 Thomas Poplawski, “Building a School with a Soul” Renewal: A Journal for Waldorf
Education Fall/Winter 2009 18 no. 2; 22-25
10
The First Waldorf School
In the spring of 1919, Emil Molt, the head of the Waldorf-Astoria

Cigarette Factory in Stuttgart, Germany, asked Rudolf Steiner to lead the

education department with the intent of opening a school for the worker’s

children in the fall. To prepare for the new school an empty building was

acquired and renovated and Steiner spent several months preparing

his new form of education. His new school was developed to include

everyone, regardless of their economic or societal class because Steiner

believed that every child has the same developmental needs and no one

should be left out.

The curriculum has the goal of educating the human being and

places great emphasis on the teaching style. The importance is not

the teacher’s capacity to recite facts, but their ability to form helpful

relationships with the students and respond to their needs. Also, the

education does not purely rely upon the traditional subjects of history,

math, language, and science. It moves beyond that and into practical life

skills such as knitting and agriculture. Although Steiner is regarded as a

philosopher, he stressed that the Waldorf School does not follow any one

particular philosophy.

Great emphasis was placed on the teacher’s understanding the

pedagogy, so Rudolf Steiner held a series of courses to instruct the

school’s future teachers. He also held lectures throughout the early years

of the Waldorf School. In current Waldorf schools, all teachers must go

through the pedagogical training before being accepted to a position.12

12 See Frans Calgren (2008), op. cit. 18-20

11
3
Aspects of the Pedagogy
Introduction
This section describes aspects of the pedagogy individually and

in relation to the child’s entire education. As mentioned earlier, Waldorf

education is not about the separate elements but about a holistic

approach to education. In order to better understand the pedagogy, it is

better to explore each aspect individually and relate back to the whole.

Where applicable, each description is followed by examples of appropriate

architectural responses that directly support the functions of that aspect of

the pedagogy along with examples of design that reflect the ideals of the

pedagogy.

Part to Whole Relationship: Head, Heart, & Hand

The curriculum in a Waldorf School is designed so that the students

are engaged on more than one level. Rudolf Steiner considered there to

be three fundamental forces within the children that need to be engaged

in the education. These forces include mental, emotional, and physical

activity; otherwise known as head, heart, and hand.13 By addressing the

three forces, it is believed that the students will be more engaged with

their education and that what they learn will be richer and more rewarding.

In traditional schooling, the children are typically taught facts that they

are expected to memorize and repeat back to the teacher in some form.

The problem with this is that it relies too heavily upon the head and the
13 See Jack Petrash (2002), op. cit. 24
12
students become tired. By incorporating exercises that utilize the heart 3.1 Orjan School
Site Plan
and the hand, the students will remain attentive.14

The other aspect of these forces is that if they go ignored, they will

come out of the students naturally and in a way that is not beneficial to

their education. For example, if the children are sitting at their desks for

too long they may start to become fidgety and anxious to move around, or

they could possibly start to day dream and ignore the teacher all together.

The idea is to exercise the head, the heart, and then the hand so that the

children tire less while providing a rhythmic pattern to each day.15

Architectural Response
To support the three forces within every child, the classroom needs

to have an open plan that allows the space to be modified and divided

into different activity zones by the teacher. In this sense, the separate

activities are unified within the whole of the classroom. This same idea

applies to the entire school, each space serves a particular purpose on

its own, but must be integrated and related to the building as a whole.

The structure should not be a conglomeration of individual pieces; it must

14 See Frans Calgren (2008), op. cit. 54

15 See Nick Lyons (2003), op. cit. 19
13
3.2 Sliding
Classroom Door at
Kaneyama Junior
High School

3.3 Dry Water

Channel at Nijo
Castle

3.4 Filled Water

Channel at Kyoto
Imperial Palace

14
be a grouping of connected zones as a unified whole. In figure 3.1, this

Waldorf grade school is designed around a central unifying space that

each structure relates to. Each zone is distinguishable, but also unified

through the use of common materials.

Even smaller, aspects and moments of the school can carry these

ideas forward. One example would be the use of sliding doors instead of

swinging doors. Looking at figure 3.2, the doors slide on a track that is

visible along the floor and above the door, and it slides to meet a doorstop

on the wall. Also, the wall is recessed to emphasize the horizontal

movement of the door. All of these aspects create a relationship between

the physical opening of the door, and mental image of where the door will

be sliding.

Another example of a similar idea is the use of an exposed water

channel to convey rainwater from the building’s roof to another point

on the site. In figure 3.3, there is a downspout terminating within a dry

channel what surrounds the building. This creates a direct link between

the roof above and the ground. By doing so, one is able to associate that

when it rains, the water collected by the roof will empty into the channel.

In figure 3.4, the channel is filled with water from a rainstorm and now the

child is able to associate the amount of rain with how quickly and how high

it fills the channel.

Community Leader
At the age of six the children will enter the first grade with a

teacher who will stay with them through the eighth grade. This is one of

the most defining aspects of Waldorf education.16 In any other school

setting, as the students advance to the next grade, they are assigned to

a different teacher. The only exception is that some schools have one or

two teachers who instruct the same group of students for two consecutive

16 See Francis Edmunds (2004), op. cit. 29

15
 Teacher
Society
Security
Role
Model

3.5 Teacher as years at the elementary level. Even so, this is not the same commitment
Leader
as being with the same class for eight years. For a teacher, one school

year is just the amount of time it takes for he or she to truly know and

understand their class. For the students, it is also the same time it takes

for them to fully trust and know their teacher. By changing teachers,

these connections are lost and must be started all over again the following

year.17

There are other benefits to maintaining the same teacher as well.

Since the same teacher has been with a class for several years and will

continue to be with them for a few more, he or she fully understands

what the children have been taught and what they will be learning. By

having this background, the teacher is able to see the entire picture of

the children’s education and able to cater lessons to his or her students’

interests. It also enables them to foresee possible issues based upon past

experiences and truly gauge each child’s educational progress.

However, such a system is not without its problems. Since the

philosophy relies upon one person to teach up to the eighth grade, the

teacher may end up spending a lot of their extra time studying the various

subjects he or she will be teaching. If certain subjects are beyond a

17 See Nick Lyons (2003), op. cit. 19

16
teacher’s ability, especially in the higher grades, a specialist may have to 3.6 Class gathering
on the floor for a
be brought in to cover the material. At the same time, they are attending story

weekly teacher meetings, providing extra help to children who need it,

contacting parents, and sharing administrative duties. They may also be

responsible for organizing or running some extra curricular activities.18

Classroom as Community
By maintaining the same students and teacher in each class, the

group becomes their own community. The children begin to know each

other very well, to the point where they know each other’s strengths

and weaknesses. So when certain situations arise, those who are more

proficient may help those who are less proficient. The bonds the students

form allow them to grow and mature together and provides them with a

sense of having a home they can rely upon. In a similar way, the teacher

becomes an important authority figure whom the children are constantly

looking to.19

The full importance of the concept of community was realized

after speaking with Karen Crick, Enrollment Director at the Cincinnati

18 See Frans Carlgren (2008), op. cit. 108-109

19 Ibid 110-111
17
3.7 Fourth Grade Waldorf School. She spoke about the importance of having just one class/
Classroom, left
community at each grade. The school never desires to have multiple
3.8 Eighth Grade
Classroom, right
classes of students at the same age. It is important that all students of the

same age are able to share a common experience while in school. This

approach is also beneficial in limiting the amount of space required to

operate the school, but at the same time may limit the revenue the school

receives each year.

The concept of community is extended beyond each individual

classroom and into the structure of each school. The faculty exist as a

community of equals, all sharing in the responsibility of how the school

operates. The teachers may elect their own chairman, but beyond that

there is no other figurehead or board. Ultimately, the direction the school

takes and what decisions are made come down to the faculty.20

Architectural Response
Each classroom must have some unique qualities that separate it

from the rest of the classrooms, just as one community is not exactly the

same as another. This allows each class to have a space they can claim

as their own and reflects the character of the group. One of the simplest
20 See Nick Lyons (2003), op. cit. 23
18
ways to achieve the individual character is through the use of color. 3.9 Freie
Waldorfschule
Rudolf Steiner had strong convictions about the meaning of different Ground Floor Plan

colors and their application in spaces. He saw red as being a more active

color and blue being a more passive color relating to mental concentration.

This belief is brought into Waldorf classrooms, where first grade is a

bright red, second grade orange, until eight grade where the color is blue-

purple. Each grade gradually loses the red/active color as they mature

and become less active beings.21 Figures 3.7 and 3.8, the Cincinnati

Waldorf School has applied these colors to the walls to the old Catholic

school they are occupying.

An additional way to create individuality is for each classroom to

have a slightly different shape, so that each room is not a direct copy

of the previous one. Figure 3.9 is the plan of a Waldorf school where

the rooms are arranged around a central atrium. Each space is given

a unique configuration, and because of the circular plan, each room will

also receive different qualities of sunlight. It is important to note that the

building still needs to be a unified whole even though each classroom is to

be unique.

21 Rotraut Walden, Schools for the Future: Design Proposals from Architectural Psychol-
ogy (Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe, 2009), 81
19
Morning Lesson: Development of a Topic
Every day in a Waldorf school begins the same way; the children

enter the classroom and begin the day’s main lesson. Each uninterrupted

lesson lasts for two hours covering one subject for a period of three to six

weeks.22 The large amount of time devoted to one subject allows for it to

be covered in great depth and explored in numerous ways. This allows

the focus to be clear over a given period of time; the children will not be

thrown off by a sudden shift of topics. They are able to come to school

and know what to expect.

Another understanding of the main lesson is the process of

forgetting. Since a subject may not be covered again for six months or

more, the students have a lot of time to forget the material. Typically it

is seen that a child’s abilities have developed and the knowledge can be

reawakened when the subject is revisited. This is especially true if the

material was presented so that the students remained interested and

enthusiastic. It may seem counter-intuitive to want to forget something

that has been learned; however, the process becomes clearer when

thinking of manual activities. For example, when carving a block of wood,

the carver is not consciously thinking about how to make each stroke.

They have forgotten how they learned it and are just simply doing what

they intuitively know.

One of the reasons the morning starts with main lessons is because

it is easier to concentrate and think during that time of the day. To make

the most out of the academic lessons, it is logical for them to occur when it

is easier to rely upon knowledge and understanding. Then later in the day

the students can move onto subjects that require manual agility, such as

woodwork or knitting.23

Lesson Books: Personal Reflection of Knowledge

22 See Francis Edmunds (2004), 35
23 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 53-54
20
 Instead of relying upon printed textbooks to learn from, the students 3.10 Student
Drawing in Lesson
rely solely upon their teacher. To track what they are learning, each Book with Crayons

student creates their own lesson book as the year progresses. The books

include drawings from stories told, geometric figures, practicing their

alphabet, etc. In this way, the children learn to create their own account

of what they are learning since the teacher is not directly instructing what

to include. There may be some concern that the students will become

too dependent upon their teacher by not including outside sources

of information. However, it has been found that the children become

motivated by the teacher’s presentation of the material and seek out books

on their own for further study.24

The children become very proud of their lesson books and put a

lot of time and care into their creation. Many of the students take their

books home to work on them further. They practice condensing the day’s

main lesson and reworking what they have already done. In this manner,

the educational process is being encouraged and reinforcing what they

learned earlier in the day.25

24 Ibid 56
25 See Nick Lyons (2003), 21
21
Importance of Nature
Having the children engaged and interacting with nature is a

very important aspect of Waldorf education. In many ways people are

becoming very disconnected with the natural world and lack a true

appreciation for what it provides and offers. It is much easier to teach

children the importance of nature and the responsibilities humans have

in maintaining it than it is to teach adults. Children find it easier to relate

to plants and animals in their own environment and readily pick up

responsible environmental habits.26 To gain a full appreciation for nature,

the students need to become active in their environment and understand

how humans rely upon raw materials. For example, the students will

experience how corn is grown, how it is harvested and have it milled,

and baked into bread. Rudolf Steiner always stressed that the natural

world should be taught by finding a relationship between nature and the

children’s understanding of themselves.27

Just as plants are a part of the human environment, so are animals.

Students at Waldorf schools are exposed to animals, especially farm

animals, starting around the fourth grade. Whether learning about plants

or animals, direct exposure is always stressed over showing pictures or

video. Nothing can truly capture or simulate the actual experience of

being a part of nature.28

After visiting the Cincinnati Waldorf School, the focus on the

natural environment is clear. It was a very cloudy and drizzling day

outside, yet several classes were outside exploring, something they do

everyday. It does not matter what the weather is like, the children are

expected to come prepared with the proper clothing (ex. rain boots, rain

jackets, gloves, winter jacket, etc.) to go outside each day. They learn to

appreciate all aspects of the environment this way. Even in the classroom
26 Christopher Clouder and Martyn Rawson, Waldorf Education (New York: Floris, 2004),
87
27 Ibid 99
28 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 151
22
natures influence can be felt. None of the teachers had the overhead 3.11 Students
Visiting a Cattle Farm
fluorescent lights on; they were relying upon daylight eve though it was

extremely cloudy outside. When it got a little too dark, the teacher would

turn on a desk lamp or two and never resort to the overhead lights.

Architectural Response
There are numerous ways of included the natural world in the

design of a Waldorf school. Looking again at Orjan school, figure 3.12,

at the center of the community is a naturalized landscaped, creating

a gathering and focal point for the school. The buildings are also

surrounded by the natural environment, immersing the students into there

surroundings. Another way of looking at the same idea is to bring nature

into the building, such as the atrium in Freie Waldorfschule, figure 3.13. In

this example, any time the children leave a room, they become engaged

with an element of nature.

A similar idea is to create multiple, smaller court yards throughout

the building that bring a piece of nature directly into the building. At Fuji

Kindergarten outside Tokyo, the building wraps around several existing

trees on the site, figure 3.14. Punctures are made through the structure,

allowing the trees to tower directly over the school. Figure 3.15 shows

how the trunks are visible and accessible from within the building.

23
3.12 Orjan School
Nature Diagram

3.13 Freie
Waldorfschule
Central Atrium

24
 The idea of a tree can be taken in a different direction as well. The 3.14 Fuji
Kindergarten Aerial,
structural columns that support the roof of the school can be shaped to top right

mimic the form of a tree. Figure 3.16, is an example of a Waldorf school 3.15 Tree
Penetrating Through
using wooden columns with branch like supports extending from them to Space, left

support the roof above, which acts like the canopy of a forest. The use
3.16 Columns
of natural materials in this example is also a reflection of nature. The Mimicking the Form
of Trees
children can look towards these materials to understand how humans

utilize the natural world in many ways.

Another way of bringing nature and architecture together is to

bring the cyclical qualities of nature into the built environment. Instead

of being a static structure, the building can respond to and change with

each season of the year. One simple approach would be to employ

window shading devices that can be removed or retracted when they are

not needed in the winter. A green wall can also be employed to reflect
25
the change in season. A green wall is the use of vegetation to cover the

façade of a building by either allowing the vegetation to directly grow on

the building or on a separate supporting structure. In the fall, the building

itself will appear to change color, then reveal its true skin in the winter, and

have a rebirth of life on the building in the spring.

Natural light is a very crucial factor in a Waldorf school; it is

preferred over electric lighting in any situation. The design must be

able to be supported by daylight to the greatest extent possible. The

dynamic qualities of natural light are much more pleasing than the stark

and consistent light emitted by electric light fixtures. The building should

respect nature by embodying principles of sustainability such as: passive

solar heat gain for the winter, rainwater collection to flush the toilets,

a green roof to reduce storm water runoff and the heat island effect,

rainwater garden, permeable paving, and locally grown materials.

Inclusion of the Arts

In many public school settings, an art class occurs only one or two

times a week for no more than an hour at a time. When funding becomes

too low, the arts are one of the first areas of the curriculum to see cuts

or even be eliminated. In a Waldorf school, drawing and painting are an

integral part of the entire curriculum; it is infused in nearly everything the

students do. Art gets the children emotionally involved in their education,

which is an important aspect of Waldorf education.29 Using art in all

subjects not only enriches the education but also appeals to children’s

desire to be an artist.30

The use of drawing and painting will not just enrich the education

process; it also serves as a practical life skill. Artistic activities require

attention and alertness, which can be developed while practicing art but

29 See Jack Petrash (2002), 59-60

30 See Nick Lyons (2003), 20
26
can also be applied to other current and future activities.31 The children 3.17 Young Student
Working with Water
also learn how to represent what they are being taught in a visual manner. Colors

Artistic exercises help the students express themselves in a creative way

through the use of different media. They learn how to use a crayon versus

how to work with watercolor and what kind of results they can achieve with

each.

Architectural Response
One way of integrating artistic ideas into the buildings design is to

use different materials throughout the structure. By doing so, the building

will tend to become less monotonous than typical public schools. This

would also demonstrate how different materials produce different effects

just as different art media are capable of producing different effects.

Role of Music
Similar to the arts in the public school model, music is not always

given very much weight in the curriculum. The children will receive singing

lessons in elementary school and possibly some early instrument work

with a recorder. Being part of the band or orchestra is optional throughout

31 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 57
27
3.18 Violin the child’s school career. Also, music is one of the first areas to see cuts
Rehearsal During
Music Class or elimination during a budget crisis. This is hardly the case in a Waldorf

school, every child learns a musical instrument beyond the introductory

level and singing is a part of other curriculum beyond their music course.

Waldorf education is about integrating curriculum to make learning a richer

and more rewarding experience.32

The students go through a sequence within the musical curriculum

that gradually builds upon itself. In the first years of grade school,

they learn singing and rhythm, then how to read and write musical

notes. Around the fourth grade the children begin to learn an orchestral
instrument after practicing the recorder. In the more advanced grades, six

to eight, they learn music theory and have the option of continuing with

the orchestra.33 Norman Weinberger, professor of psychobiology at the

University of California at Irvine stated:

Music has the ability to facilitate language acquisition, reading

readiness, and general intellectual development, to foster positive

attitudes and to lower truancy in middle and high school, to

enhance creativity, and to promote social development, personality

32 See Jack Petrash (2002), 72

33 See Nick Lyons (2003), 79
28
 adjustment, and self worth. … because we know that musical 3.19 Parthenon in
Athens, Greece
competency is part of our biological heritage –part of human

nature– we should not continue to treat it as a fill.34

Researchers have shown what Waldorf schools have known for

years, that a holistic education is only capable by using all subject areas.

Music is a part of the human experience and offers many benefits to life

beyond musical ability.

Architectural Response
One of the major components of music is the implementation of

harmonies, which are related to each other on a scale. A similar approach

in the built environment is to use a proportional system that ties all

elements of the design together. The classical orders of architecture are

one of the most widely known and widely used set of proportions and they

have been in existence since ancient Greece. Western architecture is full

of examples employing the classical orders. The Parthenon in Athens,

Greece (Figure 3.19) is considered one of the finest examples of the

Doric order. Another proportioning system is the golden ratio; and one of

the most prominent designers to use it was Le Corbusier. In many of his

34 Norman M. Weinberger, “The Music in Our Minds” Education Leadership November
(2008), 36, 38
29
3.20 Unite designs, he would employ the golden ration in the size and shape of a
d’Habitation
space, the entire building, openings, and even details. In figure 3.20, the

use of the golden ratio is evident in the façade of Unite d’Habitation by Le

Corbusier.

Eurythmy: The Body in Space

Anyone unfamiliar with Waldorf education may have never heard

of eurythmy or have any idea what it is about. Eurythmy is an art form

developed by Rudolf Steiner that employs rhythmical exercises that seeks

to bring harmony between the conscious mind and the active limbs. The

exercises work in two directions, the experience of movement in space

and the experience of knowledge in the mind. The movements are always

done as part of a group, so it is not only about a greater sense of oneself,

but also an awareness of each other. The exercises grow in complexity as

the children gradually learn how to move with their body.35 Rudolf Steiner

stated that, “Eurythmy can create forces of the will that remain throughout

35 Karen Lee Rivers, Waldorf Education: A Family Guide (Michaelmas, 1999), 70

30
life, whereas a characteristic of other forms of education of the will is that 3.21 Students
Using Rods During
the will weakens again later on.”36 Eurythmy Class

Eurythmy is not solely about rhythmical movements on their own;

it is about the integration with other areas of the curriculum. There are

clear connections between movement and music, such as the difference

between three time and four time, or a fast pace versus a slow pace.

This is only the beginning of eurythmy’s connection with the rest of the

education. The children can learn to move in circles, squares, triangles,

etc., before they are formally taught about geometry. Poetry and language

can also be taught in a rhythmical form. Various stanza forms or poetic

meters can be expressed in movement.37

Architectural Response
Since eurythmy is about understanding ones body in space, a great

way to further this idea architecturally is to provide different volumetric

experiences within the building. Figure 3.22 is a diagram of some different

ways a person can experience their body in space. A person can be in

the vast openness of a field, sheltered under a tree canopy, within a small

36 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 80

37 See Karen Lee Rivers (1999), 71
31
3.22 Diagram tight room, at the bottom of a tall space, or in an upper level of a multi-
of Volumetric
Experiences story space. They all provide opportunities to experience space, and

when combined together in one building, are able to be compared to one

another more easily.

Eurythmy can also be thought of in terms of the sequence of a building

and how a person moves through it. By employing the different volumetric

spaces in a particular sequence, a dynamic and rich experience can be

created for the visitor. Perhaps there is a particular sequence of spaces a

person would always encounter when entering a space or the building. By

expanding and contracting one’s path through a building, the experience is

more rewarding than a monotonous path.

Handwork
Another aspect of the Waldorf curriculum is the development of

objects using the hand. Starting in the first grade the children learn how

to knit simple objects with greater complexity added each year. Learning

to knit at a young age helps develop hand eye coordination along with

concentration. These are skills that will prove very important in other tasks

and in their development as a person. Also, knitting can emphasize other

subjects such as math and geometry. The children can be asked to do

rows of colors based on a mathematical pattern.38

The use of wool is another way to demonstrate to the students how

materials from the earth can be transformed. The children can participate

38 Ibid 58-59
32
in sheering a sheep and then spinning the wool into usable yarn. Working 3.23 Student Using
Wood Needles to Knit
to transform natural materials develops a sense of well being in the a Scarf

students and a sense of accomplishment from creating an object out of

raw materials. The process of knitting awakens and educates the will,

which is connected to thinking. By educating the will early, the curriculum

is preparing the students to become creative thinking adults. The process

also teaches the kids to notice detail and learn how to work with tools.39

Rudolf Steiner stated that:

a person who is unskilled in the movement of his fingers will also

be unskillful in his intellect, having less mobile ideas or thoughts,

and that he who has acquired dexterity in the movements of his

fingers has also mobile thoughts and ideas and can penetrate into

the essence of things, one will not undervalue what is meant by

developing the outer human being, with the aims that out of the

whole treatment of the outer man the intellect shall arise as one

part of the human being.40

39 See Nick Lyons (2003), 72-74

40 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 69
33
3.24 Play Children’s Festivals: Gathering of the Communities
Performance During
a Festival Every quarter, and at some schools nearly every month, a festival is

held at the school where the students share what they have been learning

with the rest of the school. The younger children get in front of the entire

school and the older kids are able to reflect upon where they have come

from. In the same way, when the older kids perform the younger children

get the opportunity to see what they will be doing in the future. What is

shared can be any number of things, such as a play, reciting in a foreign

language, playing an instrument, acting out an historical scene, etc.41

The festivals bring the entire school together in unity under a common

experience.

The reason the festivals occur throughout the year is because they

are a part of the curriculum just like any other subject. If the students are

planning to put on play, then they have to be rehearsing it in advance.

They are learning to work together and how to put together a performance.

By having multiple festivals, the children are able to learn from the

previous festival. If they were to only occur at the end of the year, there

41 See Francis Edmunds (2004), 126

34
would not be as much value since a whole year would pass before those 3.25 Interior of
Auditorium by Erik
skills would be needed again.42 Asmussen

3.26 Curriculum
Map, next page
Architectural Response
The best way to support the festivals is to include a performance

space, such as an auditorium, in the design of the school. This space

provides every student with seat to watch each grade perform on

stage. The space can also be used for events that include parents, and

therefore must contain enough seats to do so. Figure 3.25 is an image

of the auditorium on the site of the Orjan school mentioned earlier. Since

the auditorium is the gathering place for all the children, the colors

representing all the grades are visible in the mural painted on the ceiling.

To further signify the central role the auditorium plays in gathering all the

grades together, the space can be situated with the classrooms gathering

around it, as seen in figure 3.9.

To further the idea of looking towards the future and reflecting upon

the past, the classrooms can be arranged so as to provide views towards

42 See Frans Carlgren (2008), 164

35
 Eight Grade
y = 4x 2+ 10 Chemistry &
Modern Creative Writing Advanced Algebra Anatomy Music Theory Sewing Machine Stools

Seventh Grade
Physics &
Renaissance Essays & Poetry Algebra & Graphs Chemistry Intro Music Theory Felting Carved Objects

Sixth Grade
Physics Intro &
Roman & Medieval Speech & Drama Geometry Earth Sciences Orchestra Sewing Carved Utensils
2.2 x 3 = 6.6
1:2
Fifth Grade 6.2 ÷ 2 = 3.1
Composition & Decimals &
Ancient Civilization Letter Writing Proportions Botany Orchestra Knitting in Round Carving Tools

36
Fourth Grade
Oral Reports & Fractions & Free
Norse Myths Creative Writing Hand Geometry Zoology String Instruments Needle Point
NOUN ? VERB
ADJECTIVE ! ,
Third Grade : “ ADVERB
PREPOSITION
Punctuation Weight, Money
Hebrew Scriptures & Grammar & Measurement Gardening String Instruments Crochet

4÷2=2
Second Grade 2 - 4 = -2
12 x 3 = 36
Fables & Legends Reading & Writing Arithmetic Observe Nature Recorder Knitting

2+2=4
2-1=1
First Grade
2x1=2
Fairy Tales Intro to Letters Arithmetic Observe Nature Recorder Knitting

History Language Math Science Music Handwork Woodwork

the others. By doing so, it provides the opportunity for one grade to catch

a glimpse of what another is doing on a daily basis. The Orjan school site

plan, figure 3.1, is an example of using such a strategy.

A Review of the Waldorf Curriculum

Grade One- fairy tales, nature stories, folk tales; phonetic introduction to

letters; reading approached through writing; arithmetic

Grade Two- fables and legends; cursive writing, reading, elements of

grammar; arithmetic

Grade Three- Hebrew scriptures, stories of heroes & heroines; practical

life studies (farming, housing, soils and plants, garden work);

reading, writing, composition, punctuation, grammar, spelling;

arithmetic, weight & measurement, money

Grade Four- Norse mythology and sagas; local history and geography,

maps; grammar, letter writing, oral book reports, spelling, creative

writing; zoology; free-hand geometry, fractions, long division

Grade Five- ancient civilizations through Greek times, Greek mythology;

American geography related to vegetation, agriculture and

economics; composition, grammar, creative writing; botany,

zoology; decimals, ration, proportion, metric system

Grade Six- Roman and medieval history; European and African

geography; Geology, Physics (acoustics, electricity, magnetism,

optics and heat); composition, grammar, spelling, speech, drama;

geometric drawing with instruments; botany, astronomy

Grade Seven- Reformation/Renaissance and the Age of Exploration; lands

and oceans, global geography; human physiology and nutrition,

physics, astronomy, inorganic chemistry; compositions, poetry,

drama; algebra, geometry, graphs

37
Grade Eight- modern history (18th-21st Century), Industrial revolution;

social world geography and economic interdependence; physics,

anatomy, organic chemistry; composition, grammar, creative

writing; advanced algebra and geometry; botany, astronomy43

The following sections explore some of the reasons why the

Waldorf curriculum is sequenced the way it is. The curriculum has been

arranged with great care in bringing about the greatest potential within

every student.

History
The structure of the history curriculum is sequenced so that the

historical period correlates with the child’s development and awakening

consciousness. Starting in the first grade, fairy tales are used to help

the children advance their pictorial thinking skills, which deepens their

comprehension. In second grade, the focus is on fables and legends.

The legends reveal human’s dedication the God, the earth, and fellow

humans while the fables relate animal experiences with human traits

and foibles. The Old Testament is studied in the third grade to lead

the children back to earth and through the Biblical version of man’s

evolution. The students are now prepared to be approached through the

intellect. Norse mythology is then explored in the fourth grade to give

them confidence in themselves. These stories provide another cultures

perspective on how the world was created and the experiences of an

individual.

In fifth grade, the focus is directed towards ancient civilizations up

to the Greeks. The students are able to gain multiple perspectives on how

different cultures valued their life on earth, be it the Egyptians focus on

the after life to the Greeks fondness for being alive. In a similar way, fifth

graders are able to think for themselves and are confident in their abilities.

43 The Cincinnati Waldorf School Brochure

38
Roman and medieval history awaits the sixth graders. The children are

becoming more aware of their physicality and unique personality and can

relate their changes to the great changes mankind has seen from Roman

to medieval times. Now in seventh grade, the children are experiencing

the mayhem of puberty. They begin to study the Age of Exploration, The

Reformation and those who set out to challenge what humans know,

just as teenagers challenge authority in their lives. Finally, in the eighth

grade they are brought from the 1780s and into the present. By studying

important historic individuals that contrast each other (ex. Hitler and

Gandhi), the students are able to find their own point of view.44

Science
Starting in the first grade, the teacher strives to develop an inner

picture of living organisms in his or her students. By doing so, the minds

become more flexible and expansive. In the second grade, the teacher

relates what the class is learning about in fables with the animal kingdom

through objective comparisons between animals. Third graders start to

become more actively engaged in their environment by farming, building,

and analyzing nature. At this point in their lives the children are beginning

to experience a separation between the self and the world and this offers

an appropriate time for more objective science to be taught. In the fourth

grade they study animals while fifth graders study plants; but the focus is

never on dry facts, it’s on the imagery.

The sixth grade sees the introduction of mineralogy and physics.

These subjects are introduced because of the students desire for truth and

facts and because their previous experiences have prepared them to be

observant in order to discover the underlying phenomena. In the seventh

and eighth grades, blocks of chemistry, physics, astronomy, anatomy,

44 David Mitchell, Windows into Waldorf (AWSNA Publications, 2006), 26-30

39
and human physiology reinforce their abilities the precisely describe

phenomena.45

Geometry
Starting in kindergarten, the children are drawing geometric forms

in an unconscious way; they are mimicking objects and forms around

them. In first grade, form drawing begins without the use of instruments

and sets the background for formal geometry training in later years.

Fourth graders are concerned with drawing Norse and Celtic patterns

through which they are learning complicated patterns and comparing

geometries. Through sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, the student’s

geometric training becomes more precise through the use of rulers,

compasses, and other instruments. Similarly to their science studies, the

children’s development is more interested in truth and facts at this stage.46

45 Ibid 32-35
46 Ibid 36
40
Diagrams of Architectural Principles

3.27 Part to Whole

Relationship

3.28 Classrooms as
Community

41
3.29 Bring Nature
into the Classroom

3.30 Golden Ratio, a

proportioning system

42
 3.31 Different Ways
to Experience Space

3.32 Gathering of
the Communities

43
 4
Project
Regional Context
The Columbus Metropolitan Area is one of the few major cities

in the United States to not be served by a Waldorf grade school. The

closest Waldorf grade schools are the Cincinnati Waldorf School, 110

miles southwest, and the Spring Garden Waldorf School, 120 miles

northeast near Akron, Ohio.47 However, there are multiple private schools

with religious and non-religious affiliations throughout Columbus. The

Columbus Montessori Education Center offers an educational experience

with a strong pedagogy for children aged six weeks to the eighth grade.48

There is currently a Waldorf preschool and kindergarten in Columbus

named Briar Rose Children’s Center. The school is affiliated with Waldorf

Education Columbus, who has the intention of opening a Waldorf grade

school and three more preschools.49 Their ambition clearly demonstrates

that they feel there is the right amount of demand to open a grade school.

Site Context
The site is located in a primarily residential area in Worthington,

Ohio, a suburban city just north of Columbus. United State Route 23 is a

major road that runs less than a mile away from the site and offers access

to Interstate 270 just over a mile from the site. Interstate 270 circles

47 See Association of Waldorf Schools of North America

48 Columbus Montessori Education Center & McGlaughlin School (accessed January 6,
2010)
49 See Waldorf Education Columbus
44
4.1 Site Map around the city of Columbus and therefore provides a convenient way for
with Surrounding
Building Types (red = motorists from around the region to reach the site. The proposed location
commerical, yellow =
single family, orange for the Waldorf grade school is situated within the Worthington City School
= multi-family
District, which offers a middle school experience similar to Montessori

Education.50 Having an alternative program signals that the community is

open to different educational methods beyond typical public schooling.

The site itself is located at the intersection of Campus View

Boulevard and Alta View Boulevard. To the north and east of the site

there are numerous apartment buildings, to the immediate south there

is a new street of single-family housing being built and across Campus

View Boulevard is a commercial area. Railroad tracts border the site on

the west and on the other side of them there is a neighborhood of single-

family housing.

50 Phoenix Middle School, “Phoenix Middle School” (accessed December 18, 2009)
45
 PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

4.2 Site Plan

46
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT
 PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN A

Design Intervention 4.3 Building Sections

The classrooms are arranged in pairs around a central pond. The

pond is located at the center because water is central to all aspects of

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

life. The classrooms are grouped together so that one grade will have

a daily interaction with another and not become too isolated in their own

community. The younger grade classrooms are to the north of the pond,

while the older grades are to the south of the pond, providing the students

with the opportunity to be visually connected with each other, in reference

to the festivals. Also, this arrangement provides the younger grades with

more southern light and the older grades with more northern light.

In section, the classrooms are divided in half by a butterfly roof,

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

creating a south facing area and a north facing area in each classroom.

The north side will receive more consistent daylight, and is reflective of the

child’s mental concentration. The south side will receive more active daily,

reflective of the child’s physical movement. Since the younger grades

have less capacity to stay mentally focused for long periods of time, the

south area dominates. In the older grades, they have a greater mental

capacity to concentrate, so the north light dominates.

The columns supporting the roof in the center of each class

mimic the form of a tree, turning the roof into the canopy in a forest. The

classrooms will primarily use wood on the floors and exposed ceiling. The

walls will be a color stained wood to match each grades corresponding

47
 PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT
4.5 Second Floor
Plan

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

4.4 First Floor Plan

48
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT
color. There is also a full kitchen in every room since the children take

part in cooking meals and snacks.

In between the classrooms there is a locker area at the entrance to

each pair. The lockers provide a place for each student to hang their coat,

store their boots, and lunch. The lockers would be appropriately scaled

for each grade to make them easily accessible to the students. The locker

area also serves as the transition space to the outdoors, where they can

change into the proper attire. On the northern end of the younger grade

classrooms are the animal pens for the sheep. They are connected to the

younger grades because that is the age at which they are observing and

learning how to take care of animals.

Located to the east of the pond are all of the common spaces;

library, handwork and music on the ground floor; the eurythmy and

woodwork rooms on the second floor. All of the program could easily fit

on the site as one level, but doing so would deny the children the ability

to experience a two-story space, both from the ground and at the second

floor. The common spaces are connected to the auditorium, gym, and

administrative functions by an atrium.

The back stage area of the auditorium is directly connected to

the gym, which ties the two performance events together. The gym also

serves as a large space to that can be used to prepare set props for a

performance. There is also an outdoor performance space that is tied

into the façade of the main building by using it as the backdrop. The

indoor space of the gym is contrasted with a large outdoor field suitable

for soccer and baseball. The field also serves as a public space for the

surrounding community by having it located along the street running

adjacent to the site.

In addition to sheep fields, there is also a location for each

classroom to have their own garden and for crops to be grown to feed

the sheep. Adjacent to the garden area is a cafeteria and meeting space

49
where the food that is grown can be prepared and consumed. Before

and after school, the space can be used as a meeting space for all the

teachers to discus the operations of the school.

Connecting all the structures and functions of the site is a trellis

system that creates an outdoor hallway. The main trellis that leads

students from the drop off zone to the main building is a large stone a

wooden trellis with Virginia creeper growing across it. The ivy helps

convey the cycles of nature because the leaves change to a deep red in

the fall, die off in the winter, and have a rebirth of greenery in the spring.

The trellis leading around the pond and by the classrooms is at a smaller

scale and made entirely of wood. At each classroom the width of the path

enlarges to create an outdoor classroom. Between the two sheep fields

is a trellis supported by a single post in the middle and a fence between

each post.

50
 Bibliography
Blundell, Jones Peter. Peter Hübner: Bauen Als Ein Socialer Prozess =

Building as a Social Process. Stuttgart: Edition Axel Menges, 2007.

Print.

Carlgren, Frans. Education Towards Freedom. Edinburgh: Floris, 2008.

Print.

Clouder, Christopher, and Martyn Rawson. Waldorf Education. New York:

Floris, 2004. Print.

Coates, Gary. Erik Asmussen, Architect. Stockholm: Byggförlagte, 1997.

Print.

Columbus Montessori Education Center & McGlaughlin School. Web. 06

Jan. 2010. <http://www.columbusmontessori.org/>.

Edmunds, Francis. Introduction to Steiner Education: The Waldorf School.

New York: Rudolf Steiner, 2004. Print.

Educational Facilities: New Concepts in Architecture & Design. Tokyo,

Japan: Meisei Publications, 1994. Print.

Lyons, Nick. Educating as an Art: Essays on Waldorf education. Ed. Carol

A. Bartges. New York: Rudolf Steiner School, 2003. Print.

McCormick, Virginia E. Educational Architecture in Ohio: From One-Room

Schools and Carnegie Libraries to Community Education Villages.

New York: Kent State UP, 2001. Print.

Mitchell, David. Windows into Waldorf. AWSNA Publications, 2006. Print.

“ODE - State Board of Education Vision, Adopted September 2009.”

Ohio Department of Education. 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 19 Oct. 2009.

<http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.

aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=574&ContentID=64269&Content=7

3929>.

Petrash, Jack. Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside

Out. New York: Gryphon House, 2002. Print.

51
Phoenix Middle School - Phoenix Middle School. Web. 18 Dec. 2009.

<http://www.phoenixms.org/>.

Poplawski, Thomas. “Building a School with a Soul.” Renewal: A Journal

for Waldorf Education Fall/Winter 2009 18.2: 22-25. Print.

Querido, Rene M. Creativity in Education: The Waldorf Approach. San

Francisco: Rudolf Steiner College, 1996. Print.

Rivers, Karen Lee. Waldorf Education: A Family Guide. Ed. Pameal J.

Fenner. Michaelmas, 1999. Print.

Walden, Rotraut. Schools for the Future: Design Proposals from

Architectural Psychology. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe, 2009. Print.

“Waldorf Education Columbus.” Waldorf Education Columbus. Web. 05

Jan. 2010. <http://www.waldorfeducationcolumbus.org/dev/>.

Weinberger, Norman M. “The Music in Our Minds.” Educational

Leadership 56.3 (1998): 36-40. Print.

Why Waldorf Works. Association of Waldorf Schools of North America.

Web. 20 Nov. 2009. <http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/>.

Yoshida, Yoshio, ed. Herman Hertzberger: 1959-1990. April ed. Tokyo:

A+u Co,, 1991. Print. Extra Edition.

52