Alt School’s novel teaching techniques rely heavily on spaces that support them. The design focuses on the school’s attention to child-centered learning. Just as each student at AltSchool has the unique opportunity to be taught based on their own learning style, each space was designed to be flexible enough to accommodate many students’ individual needs as well as myriad unique learning styles and uses.

In designing, the constant refrain was “playful not childish”. The space was designed to be for kids, with age-appropriate spaces and plenty of areas that young students love to climb into, discover and explore, but refraining from the perhaps expected use of primary colors, shapes and murals that might provide limits to forward-thinking creativity. Every single design decision the design team made was purpose-driven – pushing their own boundaries to ask themselves how the space might be designed to be more functional, more useful, more playful.