The proposed adaptive reuse design for P.S. 64 extracts the hallway and reimagines it as an interconnected space that promotes activity and hands-on learning. By transforming the school in this way, it maximizes the space in its core, allowing the connections between the two wings of the existing structure to welcome the community in ways that P.S. 64 could not. Interactive moments are found through elements such as movable furniture which allow for various transformations of open spaces. The flexibility of functions in this community-shared core contrasts heavily with the stark classrooms occupying the wings, and in conjunction, the ‘worms’ that take you between these spaces. The coiled walkway functions as a threshold between the static operation of the wings and the dynamic and compelling events of the central floors, pushing a Montessori educational method where learning outside the classroom is encouraged. In this way, Public Swirl invents a multiplicity of atmospheres and experiences within the visibly inviting structure, qualities that the current building seems to lack.
