The prospect of retirement doesn’t just signal the end of a career; it offers the chance to recalibrate and re-prioritize in life.
Sprout Space Green Classroom
March 27, 2014
Perkins+Will creates a sustainable, modular classroom for the 21st century.
The Perkins+Will designed Sprout Space™ modular classroom includes an outdoor classroom and educational garden. This high-performance building includes solar panels on the roof which offset most of the energy needed to operate the structure.
Courtesy of
Sam Kittner
Generous daylight, which has been proven to increase student test scores and teacher retention rates, is achieved through the expansive clerestory windows and glass doors. The classroom encourages outdoor learning through its exterior teaching walls with marker boards that are built into the façade of the building.
Courtesy of
Sam Kittner
Students spend over 85% of the day inside. Sprout Space provides abundant natural daylight and easy access to the outdoors. The building materials in Sprout Space have been carefully selected to prevent off-gassing and create the healthiest indoor air quality possible.
The roof shape was designed to capture rainwater that can be funneled into cisterns located on the sides of each unit and used by students to irrigate the education gardens.
Courtesy of
Courtesy of Perkins+Will
A paradigm shift in the modular classroom, the design was informed by decades of Perkins+Will research into how academic buildings can address the needs of students, teachers, and school administrators. Sprout Space was part of an exhibition on Green Schools at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.
Courtesy of
Sam Kittner
The Perkins+Will designed Sprout Space™ modular classroom includes an outdoor classroom and educational garden. This high-performance building includes solar panels on the roof which offset most of the energy needed to operate the structure.
Educators throughout the country are growing increasingly aware of the need for innovative designs in 21st century classrooms. From WORKac's mobile greenhouses in New York and Burton Baldridge's outdoor classrooms in Austin, Texas, many architects are focusing on developing new educational spaces that are dynamic, adaptable, and sustainable.
New York based architecture studio, Perkins+Will, has become a key agent in this initiative, drawing from a wide array of green building strategies in order to enhance the learning process. Their Sprout Space is a modular classroom, customizable as either a permanent or temporary space, that aims to provide a flexible stage for creative educational approaches.
With Sprout Space, Perkins+Will has made a conscious effort to create a healthy educational environment through the choice of building materials, use of daylight, and increased ventilation in every classroom. These decisions were supported by numerous design features such as sun shades, integrated rainwater collection, efficient heating and cooling systems, and eco-friendly materials, which all help bring Sprout Space closer to becoming an energy-independent classroom.
Latest Articles
You don’t have to choose between sustainable energy and curb appeal.
July 19, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
July 06, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
June 29, 2016
Docomomo US announces the winners of this year's Modernism in America Awards. Each project showcases exemplary modern restoration techniques, practices, and ideas.
June 27, 2016
After last year’s collaboration, we were excited to team up with Monogram again for the 2016 Monogram Modern Home Tour.
June 27, 2016
A strategic rewire enhances a spec house’s gut renovation.
June 26, 2016
Coralie Gourguechon's paper objects will make you see technology in a whole new way.
June 26, 2016
Smart technology helps a house in Aspen, Colorado, stay on its sustainable course.
June 25, 2016
The aesthetic appeal of personal electronics has long fueled consumer interest. A new industrial design book celebrates devices that broke the mold.
June 25, 2016
An angled deck transforms a backyard in Menlo Park, California, into a welcoming gathering spot.
June 24, 2016
Today, we kicked off this year’s annual Dwell on Design at the LA Convention Center, which will continue through Sunday, June 26th. Though we’ve been hosting this extensive event for years, this time around is particularly special.
June 24, 2016
Two designers restore a low-slung midcentury gem in Napa, California, by an unsung Bay Area modernist.
June 24, 2016
San Francisco–based designer Maca Huneeus created her family’s weekend retreat near Lake Tahoe with a relaxed, sophisticated sensibility.
June 24, 2016
A Toronto couple remodel their home with a special emphasis on a spacious kitchen and a material-rich bathroom.
June 24, 2016
In Kansas City, an architecture studio designs an adaptable house for a musician on a budget.
June 23, 2016
By straightening angles, installing windows, and adding vertical accents, architect Aaron Ritenour brought light and order to an irregularly shaped apartment in the heart of Athens, Greece.
June 23, 2016
A modest kitchen addition to a couple’s cottage outside of Brisbane proves that one 376-square-foot room can revive an entire home.
June 23, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
June 22, 2016
A modern dwelling replaces a fallen farmhouse.
June 22, 2016
Seeking an escape from bustling city life, a Manhattan couple embarks on a renovation in the verdant Hudson Valley.
June 22, 2016
Atelier Moderno renovated an old industrial building to create a luminous, modern home.
June 21, 2016
Anchored in a small San Francisco canal, this floating home takes its cues from a classic city habitat.
June 21, 2016
From the bones of a neglected farmstead in rural Scotland emerges a low-impact, solar-powered home that’s all about working with what was already there.
June 21, 2016
An architect with a taste for unconventional living spaces creates a small house at lofty heights with a starring view.
June 21, 2016
Marjan Van Aubel makes technology a little more natural.
June 21, 2016
Building on the site of a former one-car garage, an architect creates his family’s home in an evolving neighborhood of Brooklyn.
June 20, 2016
In a Brooklyn backyard, an off-duty architect builds a structure that tests his attention to the little things.
June 20, 2016
In the suburbs of Paris, an architect with an eco-friendly practice doesn’t let tradition stand in the way of innovation.
June 20, 2016
Join the Discussion