The Waldorf School of Pittsburgh is an independent, non-profit K-8 school serving more than 200 students and faculty on a two-acre campus in the Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh. While most classrooms and administrative space are housed in a historic Victorian-era mansion, increased student enrollment indicated the need for expanded classroom space on school grounds. The Waldorf School engaged the design team to create a standalone classroom for eighth grade students that reflected the school’s guiding principles and commitment to sustainability, and would support a pivotal stage of student development, growth, and transition.

The 1,000 square-foot classroom—named “Heartwood Annex” by students in celebration of heartwood as the strongest part of a tree—provides a dedicated learning environment for the Waldorf School’s 25-person eighth grade class. Fostering a sense of independence from the main school building, we situated the new classroom as a stand-alone structure connected to the school’s cherished green space, bringing plentiful natural light indoors and creating a strong connection to the outdoors with a flexible new outdoor ‘stage.’ The interior includes a light-filled central instructional space, a mudroom, cubbies, restrooms, and storage. The classroom’s gently curved eastern wall delineates the perimeter of the interior instructional area, forming a gesture of embrace that symbolically provides students with support and encouragement.

Waldorf education encourages students to honor and respect the natural world, a guiding principle that informed our design process and approach to designing a Net Zero-ready building that could serve as a teaching tool for students – a healthy learning environment and a tactile example of sustainable design. Throughout the design process, we found opportunities to integrate salvaged, repurposed, or locally sourced materials, including a slate chalkboard from the main school building and wood from a storm-damaged oak felled onsite, which we used for the sheltered window seat in the classroom. The layered application of untreated hemlock along the curved classroom exterior, sustainably sourced plywood and milk paint used in the interior, as well as plentiful natural light and ventilation from operable windows throughout, create tactile opportunities for learning about sustainable design while creating a warm, supportive environment for students.