WALDORF SCHOOL DESIGN PATTERNS

Abstract

This work is a part of a Master Degree research, whose study object was the Waldorf School Architecture. The goals were to identify the main design patterns of this specific architecture and to investigate if school architecture experts endorse them. For this purpose, we carried out a literature review on school architecture in general and Waldorf one, and the main sources were architecture, pedagogy and environmental psychology. We identified twelve Waldorf design patterns, all of them integrated in some way end with the adopted pedagogy. There are peculiar propositions by their creators, regarding the application of colors and shapes in these environments. For these, there is no scientific evidence, neither consensus between the experts, although all of those patterns are endorsed in different approaches.Therefore we may not say that it presents something innovative, however the differential possibly is the way in which this architecture is designed, that gives it its own identity, which would provide territoriality, sense of belonging and, hence, satisfaction to this school community.

Keywords: School Architecture, Organic Architecture, Participatory Design, Design Pattern, Waldorf or Steiner School.