On San Francisco's rugged Pacific coastline, a new 4,000 sf preschool building provides modern facilities for an established Montessori program. A pre-engineered steel frame and roof system creates a long rectangular shed into which a series of framed prisms, housing the 'hard' functions of the program, are inserted. Oriented along the east-west axis to maximize solar gain and light through the glazed southern faade, the sheds roof slopes to collect rainwater for irrigation. The two classrooms open out through the porous south wall onto a generous landscaped play area.
