Text description provided by the architects. One in five children have learning differences. Yet most schools are not designed with neurodiversity in mind, which hinders learning for students with dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. The design of the Lower School campus of Westmark School—which supports students with language-based learning differences—creates an inclusive, welcoming, and nature-infused environment, featuring mass timber and other natural materials. Gathered around a grand California Sycamore tree and designed to be net zero, the project aligns the architectural vision to the highly specialized education and individualized instructional model of Westmark School.
This includes physical accommodations for right-sized classrooms and learning environments that provide flexibility, healthy daylight and air quality, as well as movement, proper sound attenuation and shaded open space with opportunities for outdoor learning. Multiple design attributes support neurodiverse students.
As these learners may be more sensitive to ambient sounds, several features enhance acoustical comfort, from the shape of the school itself, with staggered volumes that minimize sound transfer between classrooms, to a quiet room within an occupational therapy space that provides a calming refuge. The design also minimizes students' distraction by decreasing excess stimuli: muted colors, dimmable lights and natural materials like exposed wood, enhance focused learning. In addition, the school is oriented around nature to reduce anxiety and stress, which may be enhanced in students with learning differences.
Every space is no more than 50 feet from the outdoors, so nature becomes a key part of a sensory learning experience, social exercise and creative play. Choice-Driven Learning The project applies the latest in neurodiversity insights to provide comfortable, choice-driven learning environments while increasing student well-being. This includes offering students and teachers additional choices to reduce stress. For instance, a variety of paths, nooks and hubs each address the need for respite and connection.
In addition, the indoor and outdoor classrooms become oases of calm via garden-like environments. Sustainable Features The project set an early target of ILFI Zero Carbon design and is tracking LEED Gold certification, which closely aligns with the school’s mission to educate future leaders to be stewards of our world. Beyond these environmental measures, the project’s sustainability features create multiple spaces that support the education of children with learning differences.
Examples include the warmth of the exposed mass timber elements, rooftop gardens that provide access to nature, and deep roof overhangs that shade openings while creating a soft natural light that is comfortable for children with visual impairments. Environmental Education Sustainable features also provide education opportunities for students: solar panels on the roof, water savings from efficient landscape and plumbing fixtures are all metered and exhibited in an interactive display that tracks the building’s energy and water savings.
