da vinci rise, a sister school of da vinci charter, is a growing high school that serves homeless, foster, and transient youth.  the dv rise model is to “meet students who are disconnected from school” by providing the “academic, social, and emotional” skills to thrive in life beyond high school.  as they continue to grow, their student population at dv rise has outgrown its space and needs additional spaces to reach more students.

 

the last two years, da vinci students have constructed spaces, with their teacher's guidance, which have been used for counseling, small groups, and studying.  the mobile spaces are capable of adapting to the user’s changing needs, and creating comfortable, welcoming, relaxing zones.    

 

studio freeby partnered with da vinci school on the 2018-2019 tiny counseling center.

​

the students were involved in the entire process to a greater extent than the previous year.  beginning with design, the students were active participants in planning and research.  they began building planters in the fall as an introduction to construction methods. the rest of the school year they spent constructing the tiny counseling center step by step.

 

the goal was an invigorating architectural space that was cost conscious and constructible by high school students, and it became so much more than that.