Situated a block away from its former home within a split retail complex, Lupine Montessori transformed a former commercial hardware store at the end of a strip mall into a nurturing learning environment that fully embraces Montessori principles.
The renovation consolidates the school’s formerly divided locations into a unified campus, designed to support their expanding early childhood program. The new facility includes five spacious classrooms, each with generous natural light, direct access to the outdoors, and purposefully designed environments that foster independence, exploration, creativity, and a deep connection to nature.
The exterior reflects the project’s refined material palette, clad in two-tone box-ribbed metal in charcoal bronze and warm light gray. A slatted Douglas fir entry wall and bent metal signage mark the primary entrance, with the warmth of the wood extending from the exterior into the interiors to create a clear sense of continuity and welcome. New window openings introduce abundant daylight while reinforcing indoor-outdoor connections throughout the school.
All classrooms are arranged around the perimeter of the building, each with windows and direct access to exterior learning areas on three sides.
At the heart of the plan lies an open central living room—a shared gathering space bathed in natural light from skylights above. This flexible space serves as the social and spatial anchor of the school: a place for collective learning, community, and student artwork display.
The pinwheeling classrooms around the living room create opportunities for organic student interactions throughout the day. Surrounding this core is a warm, wood-clad volume that contains support spaces such as the quiet room, coat storage, print room, and staff areas.
Two ‘Casa’ classrooms serve the youngest children in mixed-age groupings. These classrooms are thoughtfully connected by a central nap/flex room and include adjacent observation spaces for prospective parents and educators to discreetly observe without disruption.
The interior palette balances practical durability with warmth and material richness. Existing concrete floors were polished and sealed in the living room, with classrooms receiving LVT flooring for acoustic and tactile comfort; carpeted offices offer a quieter zone for faculty. White-painted surfaces—from the drywall to the tectum ceiling and exposed bar joists—reflect daylight throughout the space, fostering a bright, open environment that centers student creativity. Lighting is tailored to support Montessori pedagogy: classrooms are illuminated with soft, indirect and direct lighting, bouncing off the ceiling to create ambient and task-friendly environments. In the living room, downlights are aligned perpendicular to the structure to echo the building’s structural rhythm and bring clarity to the shared space.
Just beyond the south entry lies the project’s quiet treasure: an unbuildable wooded parcel. Through thoughtful design, the renovation strengthens the school’s connection to this natural gem, which now serves as an immersive outdoor classroom, supporting the school’s programmatic growth and advancing its mission to foster confident, independent, lifelong learning within a holistic Montessori framework.
Additional Images
Architecture: Wheeler Kearns Architects
Construction Manager: Sequoia General Contracting Corp.
Structural Engineer: Meyer Borgman Johnson (MBJ)
MEP Engineer: Diligent Design Group (DDG)
Photography: Brian Griffin