Project Spotlight: PILA Canyon Nest
Last year, March Studio had the opportunity to renovate the exterior space of a preschool located near the Mexico-US border, called the Canyon Nest School. We asked Todd to tell us more about March's relationship with PILA Global and what it was like working on the project at the height of the pandemic.
Can you tell us more about March Studio’s collaboration with PILA Global? What’s the backstory?
We met PILA's Director, Alise Schafer Ivy, when she was the Director of the Evergreen School in Santa Monica, a preschool known for its commitment to the Reggio Emilia Constructivist philosophy of early childhood education. Alise is a super visionary person and is an important part of the progressive childcare community here in Santa Monica.
We also had the opportunity to collaborate with Alise early on. In 2003, we worked on a submission to the Getty Family Room competition around Reggio Emilia Constructivist philosophy—constructing knowledge based on personal experiences, where teacher and students have the ability to discover in a dynamic, ever-changing view of the world we live in, and have the opportunity to explore, play, create.
How did March Studio come to redesign the Canyon Nest School's outdoor space in Tijuana?
When Alise retired from the Evergreen School, she started a non-profit, PILA Global and their Nests program, which opens preschools worldwide to provide safe access to education and shelter for children seeking asylum.
PILA Global serves communities that live in very challenging conditions. Temporary shelters provide little or no space for the children - there is no place to play, no school. Alise wanted to bring her style of preschool education to these communities in need, in any given location, and insert it into a structure so these children could have a safe space to play, learn, and develop. There were discussions about collaborating on a few different initiatives. Ultimately, the Canyon Nest project picked us, as there were significant constraints, and our team is good at working with limited resources. It’s something we do well.
There must be a lot of planning that goes into new Nest schools if they construct them anywhere in the world. How did the design team tackle that?
The biggest challenge is finding and renovating an existing structure, getting all the materials and equipment shipped to the location, and training local staff as quickly as possible. There is such a tight deadline because these children and their families don't have another option. They have nowhere else to go.
Initially, Alise had two locations in Tijuana, Mexico but one was closed due to the pandemic. The other didn't have a developed outdoor space, and with classes abruptly moving outside, improvements to the exterior became urgent. Our PPP loan kicked in around that time, so we were able to step in right away. Because of our proximity to Mexico, we could move through the project phases rather quickly.
What other things did you need to consider while designing the space, and what was the result?
There was still the challenge of being resourceful and sustainable and delivering something in line with their vision. The whole philosophy of Constructivist education is to be respectful of the children's abilities and give them a space that's on a level with what they deserve or what they need.
We observed how the children interacted with the existing space and incorporated their needs into the renovated design. We made use of found material and natural planting already on the site - old tires, lumber, stone, and concrete. We built a multi-use outdoor space that respects the children's abilities as learners and offers versatility and practicality. This space proved to be extremely valuable during COVID as an available outdoor classroom but it was designed to have a lasting function beyond COVID that we think will hold true.