Community and Child-Centered Design
Stephen Wise Temple has been a pioneer in education for over five decades. The Aaron Milken Center represents yet another transformational opportunity, one that ensures a vibrant future for their children to grow and thrive. Abramson Architects was selected for this legacy-making project based on their “inspired creativity and depth of experience in both Early Childhood Education design and Jewish institutional projects”.
A thoughtful design maximizes the beautiful hilltop campus, infusing the academic ecosystem with a sense of connection to the natural world. Vibrant interior and exterior spaces foster growth and learning in a nurturing environment designed to welcome children, families, and the greater Stephen Wise community.
Common spaces for gathering provide places for parents to sit with their child in those moments before separating for the day and again after school to share in the day’s events. Unique outdoor spaces include a sensory garden, vegetable gardens, spots for water-sand-mud play, climbing structures, and more.
The project incorporates creatively designed classrooms and outdoor experiences that lend themselves to discovery, exploration, and collaborative learning. The sense of wonder fostered in these spaces will positively impact the quality of the students’ work as they move throughout their day.
Inside, classrooms are flooded with natural light via floor to ceiling windows. The design also features a beit midrash, art studio, learning kitchen, library, music room, and social hall aimed at integrating learning into the school in a thoughtful and inspiring way.
