there's an old elementary school in columbus that is just one big long hallway, period. it's the strangest thing i've ever seen, but i like it.
it's one big long hallway, with all of the classrooms off of it. the gym, the library, the music room, and the office are off of the one big long hallway, too. totally weird. usually there's at least one other hallway sticking out somewhere.
the other cool thing about this school is, along the back of the school, running the entire length (width?) of the building are woods. all of the rooms have lots and lots of windows (not true in modern buildings), and so the view from the rooms on that side of the hallway is stunning. especially at this time of year when all the trees are bare. i love bare trees. not that i don't like trees with leaves, cuz i do so don't accuse me of being prejudiced against trees.
even the view from the rooms on the other side of the hallway is pretty good because the genius who designed this building put interior windows on both sides of the hallway, which means that you can look from one classroom across the hall into the other and from there, out the window. and so, you can see the woods no matter where you are! genius!
walking from one end of this building to the other takes about 3 minutes, which is probably a design flaw right there, except not in the kids' minds. the kids love being able to stretch a thirty second walk to the office to 3 minutes and not get into trouble for it.
the additional benefit to a school being designed like this is the automatic, built-in exercise that it provides. the solution to obese kids in america is one big long hallway.
provided, of course, they can stop looking at the woods long enough to walk it.
