Language & Laughter Studio
Brooklyn, NY 2024
"O’Neill, and McVoy paid close attention to sensory materials to help children connect with the real world and look inward at such a formative stage in their lives ... The LLS "was a beautiful commission for an architect,” McVoy said. “Pascale asked us to create a new kind of school that embodies its philosophy and helps enable its goals." - Architect's Newspaper
The school is organized in three parts relating to natural light and movement:
The ‘Garden’ - reception, circulation and gathering - forms a continuous, curving space framed by a painted landscape mural, connecting the front entrance to the back exit where the children depart for daily excursions to Fort Greene Park.
The ‘River’- spaces relating to water - runs along the back, positioning the Children's Restroom as a pivotal space in a child’s development.
The classrooms are ‘Vessels of Light’ defined by translucent, colorful, curved screens animated by the abundant sunlight. They are finished in natural, recycled materials: cork floors and soft, sky blue acoustic ceilings. The concrete structure and services are exposed to maximize ceiling height and give didactic presence to gravity and service elements of the architecture.
Language & Laughter Studio is a French-immersion preschool and language center in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Working closely with the school’s founder, Pascale Setbon, O’Neill McVoy Architects designed their new 3,300 sf home, inspired from the school’s philosophy: “We strive to draw the children into the natural world and deepen their connection to it.”
Designed for a child’s perspective, the architecture is characterized by organic flow, movement and bodily engagement. The luminous walls’ outward, convex curves that shape the ‘Garden’ encourage movement through the space, while their inward, concave curves embrace the classrooms.
We worked diligently for a year to bring this dream to life, and what you now see is the result of a collaborative journey between three fields: education, architecture, and fabrication. The educational perspective guided us in designing a school that responds to the needs of children in a world increasingly dominated by digital technology, fostering instead a connection to nature. The architects shaped forms, spaces, and light that make every living being—children, plants, and even our beloved Ima—feel recognized and alive.
-Pascale Setbon, LLS Founder
PROJECT CREDITS
Client: The Language and Laughter Studio School
Location: 810 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11238
O’Neill McVoy Architects
Beth O’Neill, AIA, Chris McVoy, Principals
Irmak Ciftci, Associate-in-Charge
Richard Stora, Weilin Berkey, Project Team
MEPF Engineer, AV/IT/Security: Ettinger Engineering Associates
Lighting Designer: O'Neill McVoy Architects
General Contractor: Rockhill Construction
Mural: Olivia Angelozzi