Outdoor Agricultural Classroom

Schematic Design & Entitlements, 2011

Founded in 2006, the 18-acre Sunol AgPark is a thriving urban-edge farm located near the town of Sunol, on land that the non-profit Sustainable Agricultural Education (SAGE) leases from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. The educational programs run by SAGE at AgPark include a public school field trip curriculum, service learning for high school students, and public education events for whole families. Together these programs bring a rural experience with sustainable agriculture to  thousands of largely urban youth and families throughout the region.  

In 2011, SAGE asked our studio to design an outdoor classroom that would serve as a hub for their network of 4th - 8th grade school programs throughout the East Bay. Although small, at 1,000 SF, the outdoor classroom would host thousands of children per year through field trips, leveraging a relatively small investment in one location to support the curriculum of hundreds of public schools.  The flexible, multifunctional structure would provide a center of focus for classes and students visiting the site, and make educational programs possible year-round, in all weather conditions. 

We shepherded the project through a successful San Francisco Civic Design Review and secured approval for the project, it was ultimately shelved due to lack of funding for capital improvements.

Project Size: 250 square feet / 25 users; Our Role: Architect