AltSchool

Founded by Silicon Valley executives, AltSchool is a new paradigm in learning, focused on personalized learning with curriculum generated by custom technology. As the education design consultant for this A+I project, MBB conceived the new middle school in Union Square as a lab school, incorporating a varied environment for personalized learning in a small school setting.  The interior is organized around a central, stepped seating area that functions as gathering space and stage, highlighting the importance of community.

An adjacent Design Lab incorporates infrastructure for science and art and facilitates project-based learning. Classrooms are organized in pairs and connected by flex rooms allowing for a range of group work, while breakout spaces and quiet nooks allow for independent study. The material palette emphasizes natural materials with warm, vibrant finishes in contrast to industrial elements of the existing building. Technology is seamlessly integrated in the service of personalization and continuous improvement in this unique learning environment while the focus on the student takes the foreground throughout the design.