Escola Vila Verde: centro educacional Waldorf

Abstract

The school environment plays a fundamental role in the development of young people and children, influencing not only their academic development, but also their social and emotional skills. Both the quality of teaching and the infrastructure of schools are key elements that shape students' educational experience. However, considering the current crisis in Brazilian education, which reveals flaws in the traditional teaching model associated with mechanistic education, there is a growing demand for alternative methodologies. The relevance of the topic lies in the need to rethink the Brazilian educational system, currently evaluated by indicators such as the Índice de Desenvolvimento da Educação Básica (Ideb) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), which point to unsatisfactory results, generating questions about the methods and forms of student assessment. This reality presents itself as a significant challenge for national education, highlighting the need to rethink the pedagogical approaches adopted. Waldorf pedagogy, created by Rudolf Steiner, stands out for providing an approach that values the student's integral development, promoting a more humanized education, combining play, nature and contact with the arts as a learning instrument. In view of this, the general objective of this work is to develop the architectural design of a public elementary and preschool to serve children aged 4 to 14 in Vila de Ponta Negra, Natal/RN, based on Waldorf pedagogy. Considering that the study area faces a lack of public educational infrastructure, evidenced by the scarcity of vacancies in daycare centers and schools, in addition to the precarious conditions in existing institutions, the proposal emerges as an opportunity to meet the educational demands of the region. In addition to increasing the supply of vacancies, this pedagogical method, centered on student development, offers an approach that contrasts with the traditional teaching model. As specific objectives, the aim is to (i) identify how the foundations of Waldorf pedagogy can be applied in the planning of educational environments; (ii) identify the compatibility, possible divergences and alignments between the legal requirements for the planning of educational environments and the principles of Waldorf pedagogy; and finally, (iii) identify the main characteristics of anthroposophic architecture and its influence on the planning of school spaces for a learning environment aligned with the pedagogical principles of Waldorf schools. As a result, the work presents the project, at preliminary study level, of a Waldorf school, organized into independent blocks with organic shapes and natural elements, with a central nucleus that integrates the sectors and green areas.