For teachers of Early Childhood Education who are familiar with the Reggio Educational Approach and Philosophy which insists that children learn readily from their environment, and therefor the environment is the ‘third’ teacher’, The Diana Municipal Preschool is a mecca, so to speak.
Below is an overview of the Diana Municipal Preschool in Reggio Emilia, Italy from ‘Imagine’.
‘Imagine’ is “a database which captures school design best practice from around the world.” Case studies are selected, researched and written by a core team of architects and researchers and serve as an academic resource and research base, applicable in the practice of design, planning and construction of schools.
“The Reggio Emilia schools were established after the 2nd World War by communities who took the opportunity to redesign and rebuild their approach to preschool education in the city. Parents literally used the rubble of destroyed buildings to create learning environments whose focus was to allow children the opportunity to experience life through sensory investigation. The design of the school buildings is aimed to link inside and outside, creating an environment where ‘osmosis’ between enclosed and open spaces could occur. The buildings and pedagogy were considered and developed at the same time, each reinforcing the other.”
View full case study here
