Carlin/White Associates designs a wide variety of building types, in
many cases for single, or highly specialized use.
Such projects, such
as the Lakeview Montessori School illustrated on this page, require a
keen understanding of the work and disciplines that drive the design of
The success of
Montessori schools is attributable to a unique educational program that
places emphasis on the child's individual needs, and on early education
designed to cultivate a child's natural desire to learn.
In a Montessori
program, a child gains an early enthusiasm for learning by pursuing
their own individual interests according to their individual and
personal abilities. This approach gives the child a foundation
where they can develop to their fullest potential.
It is a self-paced
curriculum that utilizes highly specialized materials and a system of
education that is both a philosophy of child development and a rationale
for guiding such growth. It is based on the child's developmental
needs for freedom within limits, as well as a carefully prepared
challenge in designing that environment is to design a building that
supports the environment's role in a child's development.