EVIE4010 | 2022
Instructors: Tijen Roshko & Umid Abdullaev
Project: Forest School | Terrarium
"Terrarium" is a Forest School located within the Wallace Building at 125 Dysart Road on the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry campus. This Forest School was created for children between the ages of 5 to 12 and is designed to integrate the traditional indoor classroom with our natural environment.
Exterior Play Structure
The design concept for the Forest School, Terrarium, was inspired by the rings that are found in trees and can be seen in the toy STUMPED!. These circular rings represent the growth of the tree and were found to be a suitable feature for a Forest School that is intended to educate and help young children learn and grow. The more detailed and jagged lines, from the bark outline, are used for smaller scale features like the archways to the library or sharing boards in the teaching spaces. The overall layout of the space in plan view is also influenced by these curvilinear elements.
The significance of this Forest School is its integration with the surrounding environment along the Red River. The mature trees on the site provide a shaded space or the children to play in, but still leaves plenty of light for plants to grow in the nutrient dense soil in the gardens. A shaded canopy provides a transition space from interior to the exterior environment where classes, workshops, or presentations can be held. Pod-like structures are found strategically scattered around the site as well. Some are used for storage for garden equipment, some are greenhouses, and others are warming huts for the colder months. Two large play structures that are made of several of the pod-like structures have been designed for an additional layer of creative play, one for the interior and one for the exterior environment.
This project is a Forest School and therefore has an essential dependence on the use of exterior spaces which are just as, if not more important as the use of the interior spaces. Having spaces in both environments to play, learn, and grow has been crucial during the design process of this project.
Terrarium Entrance Perspective
STUMPED! Toy
This studio began with the creation of a toy that is inspired by nature and that would be suited for the target audience of the school. STUMPED! is a simple tilting maze toy. This toy is made of a two inch slice of an oak tree with a recessed center to create a void space. Within this void space are wooden pegs and holes in a geometric pattern. Enclosed within the void space by a thin round sheet of acrylic are three metal balls. The objective of this game is to tilt the wooden slice around until the three metal balls are aligned in the holes.
Stair Railing Axonometric Views
Library Shelving & Seating Axonometric Views
All designs presented on the above pages are of fictional spaces and were done for educational purposes.
