Thaden School Master Plan

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"This plan, created to\nsupport the growth of an independent school in rapidly expanding Bentonville,\nArkansas, reflects a vision the challenges the traditional paradigms for\neducation. The programming, landscape, and architectural design all originate\nfrom Thaden School\u2019s three-pronged approach to its curriculum, the focus of\nwhich is learning by doing while remaining connected to the land and\nsurrounding community. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The seeds for Thaden School\ngerminated in the spring of 2015 in conversations with the Walton Family\nFoundation, the school\u2019s funder, shaping the idea of an independent school with\na highly public face and mission dedicated to serving Bentonville. Those early\nconversations also determined that the school would emanate from its place,\nwith success heralded by a palpable sense of connection. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Following a review of\nnearly a dozen sites, school leadership selected a plot just 15 minutes from\nBentonville City Square and several of its dynamic districts. The team soon\ndiscovered the site, at differing times in its history, had previously held the\nBenton County Fair, Bentonville College, and Bentonville High School, though\nthe old buildings were long gone. School leadership was attracted to the site\u2019s\nfairground history, seizing on the idea that the school should feel open and\naccessible. To that end, the design team was challenged to organize an empty\n26-acre site with just 125,000-square-feet of building program. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The overarching plan,\ndeveloped collaboratively among the team, surrounding community, and Thaden\nSchool\u2019s leadership, explores how a school can serve a growing urban\nenvironment while grounding children in a longstanding regional agricultural\nidentity. Early in the process, the team envisioned an \u201curban pastoral\u201dcampus\nthat marries urban development as a catalyst that energizes cities with\nhistorical respect for the region\u2019s agricultural vernacular, particularly the\nregional farmstead. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Much like buildings in an\nagricultural landscape can be loosely organized to form semi-enclosed spaces\nconnected to larger, open spaces, the campus is defined around four main\nbuildings. The campus landscape is multi-faceted, hinging on local, social, and\necological analogs for human use patterns, plant communities, and indigenous\nlandforms. It is also productive and supports natural ecological processes,\nsuch as the restoration of the Osage prairie and demonstrating new models of\nproduction and consumption through farming. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Across the campus, students\nare encouraged to achieve balance through motion as they engage with the\nlandscape throughout the day. A similar attitude for circulation is reflected\nin the way the buildings are distributed. In most schools, classrooms are supported\nby specialty areas, such as gyms and libraries, that are tucked into corners.\nThe school\u2019s philosophy prompted a different approach, so the academic programs\nare sprinkled across the landscape. All of them include their own lab or maker\nspace where students can integrate the movements of their minds and hands. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The school also capitalizes\non a 2005 master plan for Bentonville\u2019s downtown core, which focused on\nincubating the development of its arts and market districts connect by the\ncity\u2019s 6th Street corridor. Thaden School anchors the southern portion of both\ndistricts, creating another integral link. Its adjacency provides students new\nopportunities to engage with activities and organizations in Bentonville\u2019s\nevolving downtown community. "]]]]}