Montessori Architecture: A Design Instrument for Schools
Unlike her contemporary Rudolf Steiner and his organic «anthroposophical architecture», Maria Montessori never described a formal architectural style. Instead, since the opening of the first Casa dei Bambini in Rome in 1907, her educational philosophy has inspired a global repertoire of child-centred learning environments, all of which share a remarkably positive atmosphere for teaching and learning, despite vast variety in economic, cultural, and geographical conditions.
To better understand this phenomenon, a team at AWF conducted a study in 2018, examining a selection of such schools across Africa, Asia, and Europe. In doing so, they identified 28 recurring architectural patterns, later published under the title «Montessori Architecture: A Design Instrument for Schools». Shortly thereafter, when the Tanzanian NGO Africa Amini Alama announced an architectural competition for a new school in the Maasai region, the opportunity arose to test the instrument in practice. The resulting project, Simba Vision in Ngabobo, was awarded the Dezeen Award for Architecture Project of the Year in 2023.
Today, new schools based on this publication are being built around the world. In Tanzania and Kenya, the Arthur Waser Foundation assists selected model projects. The most recent initiative to expand Montessori Architecture is the «MCT Challenge Fund». Its goal is to support trained Montessori teachers in Tanzania in establishing 100 scalable nursery schools across various regions of the country. Each of these schools is designed by local architects, built with regional materials, and follows the 28 patterns of Montessori architecture.
For more information, visit: MCT Challenge Fund for Montessori Nursery Schools in Tanzania.