The Architecture of Waldorf school : School as "Community"

Abstract

The task of this paper is to throw light on how much endeavor is being made towards forming a community at Waldorf by focusing on the architecture of Waldorf school. The following points were made clear as a result. (1) The characteristics of Waldorf school deduced from the viewpoint of revolutionary school movement are an independent school administration, the original formation of educational curriculum, and the quality of school as a community that prepares conditions for them. (2) The characteristics seen in the architecture of Waldorf school are that the school staffs themselves participate in the construction of the school so that they can live comfortably there. (3) It usually takes a long time to build the school, and the time comprises the process of completing the school as a "community," for in the meantime the builders of the school and the building itself, and a community as a school, are incorporated into one. (4) From the viewpoint of school as "community," a form of school is devised to send messages of "protection," "welcome," and "encounter." The festival hall plays a central part in Waldorf school, for it serves as "encounter" space, where all who are a part of the school can be assured that they are members of one community, and thus deepen the relationships within Waldorf.