LOOK: OB Montessori Center revamps its Greenhills campus with more color and interesting decors
Let's face it: school would be boring if you don't have any fun classmates who share your interests and teachers who are as pleasant as they are knowledgeable. But another factor that helps bring life to classrooms is its design as no child would want to develop their thinking skills in a space that's dull and unimaginative.
Which is exactly why OB Montessori Center (OBMC) puts creativity in the spotlight as it unveiled its newly-refurbished Greenhills campus design that is just too cute for words!
Conceptualized and planned in collaboration with designers Rita Nazareno and Gabriel Lichauco, the school's fresh architecture puts color, motifs and symbols at the cornerstone. The rooms exude an energizing glow thanks to their bright palette, and adding to their charming appeal are pieces of furniture and wall decorations that give off a Filipino vibe.
As face-to-face learning has gradually become the norm again following the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school's redesign comes in order to enhance learning environments and mold creativity among the minds of the future.
"The Montessori method for teaching is based on experiencing materials and processes, so a student’s whole being is involved in the absorption of knowledge. Materials, colors, surfaces, and shapes are all stimuli that encourage young minds," the campus' president and chief operating officer Sara Soliven-de Guzman said.
"We felt that we needed to improve the 'vibe' so that when the students return, they are welcomed with happy, exciting and energizing spaces. Our immediate goal was to create an environment that would welcome students to a new chapter in their lives," she added.
The classrooms had a unique design for each academic level as they needed to "suit the learning phase, thinking process, and day-to-day educational activities of its students."
For instance, Nazareno and Lichauco wanted to make preschool learners feel like they were having a fun day at a park. Thus, their classroom focused on basic forms and colors to give the essence of being in nature while primary classrooms showcased more complex forms to see how nature affects their daily lives.
The design for the intermediate and junior high classrooms concentrated on milestones in the fields of science, arts, design, architecture, such as the works of Leonardo da Vinci and Nikola Tesla. This would give them a feeling of traveling back in time to remember the works that have helped define today's modern world.
Lastly, the senior level classrooms aimed to highlight important figures in Philippine contemporary art such as Roberto Chabet, Nena Saguil and Leo Valledor. Thus, the spaces track a journey in forms, topics and concepts.
All in all, the classrooms exemplify the importance of the environment in the learning process of students.
As de Guzman pointed out, "The Montessori way of teaching cannot be separated from the physical setting, the environment that is most conducive for learning and absorbing knowledge. This refresh certainly helps to show the OBMC community that it is a new world we are living in, and we must be open to the experiences it offers."