Early Childhood Education
How to Design a Natural Playscape
As children, the first lessons we learn are about the natural world around us. And those lessons are important, because they become the framework for much of the learning that follows. That’s one of the reasons nature themes are so prevalent in childcare and early education settings. This includes outdoor play areas, where it seems…
Read MoreHelping Young Minds Bloom with an Educational Greenhouse and Gardens
Slate School is an independent elementary school in North Haven, CT. Its 25-acre parcel is a beautiful plot of land, with both open meadow lands and forest. When school leaders approached us to design the school building, they expressed their vision of capitalizing on this incredible setting and having nature play a central role in…
Read MoreWhat Goes Into the Design of a New Elementary School Campus?
One of the most important characteristics for young students to possess is curiosity. For one elementary school in North Haven, CT, the notion of exploration is central to its mission: “Slate School cultivates creativity, fosters ingenuity, and inspires a deep passion for lifelong learning and discovery. Slate School’s priority is that each child’s innate and…
Read MoreFrom Design to Construction: How Slate School Was Built
Every design and construction project is unique. How well the parties involved address a project’s particularities is a key element in its success. Our work at Slate School in North Haven, Connecticut, is a perfect example of how effective collaboration yields exceptional results. In particular, our interaction with the construction team helped bring the client’s…
Read MoreHow Healthy Schools Support Happy Children
Our team of architects and designers handles a wide range of projects, including work on new construction, historic buildings, alterations and renovations, and site analysis and feasibility studies. And, we enjoy every new challenge we take on. But one area that is especially gratifying is designing school buildings and additions that meet the highest environmental…
Read MoreThe Best School Designs Connect Kids with Nature
“Outside is for play; inside is for learning.” Thankfully, that outdated approach to education has gone by the wayside. Teachers and administrators today understand that providing more exposure to the natural world not only helps kids develop a stronger connection with the environment, it energizes their studies in all areas. Rather than counting the minutes…
Read MoreGreenwich Academy: A Case Study in Interactive Design
One of the best things about being an architecture firm that has had success in a wide range of institutional, commercial, and residential settings is the variety of projects that we get to tackle. Having done their research, clients feel comfortable trusting our firm with the design of structures that don’t fit neatly into any…
Read MoreHow to Work with Architectural Review Boards
Founded in 1827, Greenwich Academy provides college preparatory education for girls at a day school on a 39-acre campus in Greenwich, CT. When the school decided to build a new multi-use facility with classrooms on the ground floor and a faculty apartment on the second floor, the school’s leadership chose Patriquin Architects to create the…
Read MoreSustainable design for a new elementary school
One of our current projects, which we couldn’t be more excited about, is designing a nature-based independent school, called Slate School, on former farmlands in North Haven, Connecticut. The school’s educational philosophy is centered around discovery, curiosity, and nature. We’re no strangers to design for early childhood education with nature as a core principle, with…
Read MoreDesigning a nature-based school
Recently, we have been asking ourselves how to design to support the educational philosophy of curiosity and nature-based learning for a new independent elementary school called Slate School. When designing for a school, in particular, it’s essential to strongly adhere to its core principles in order to create the best environment for learning. To this end,…
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