I am sure it would be a pretty fun project to design a conceptual school for younger children. There are so many factors that come into play when considering the development of a young child. Interaction, concentration, stimulation, and light are just a few necessities that come to mind immediately but I am certain there are many more decisions to be made when it comes to the environment they spend the biggest part of their day in.
Here is the new Tellus Nursery School in Stockholm with its design that got my attention right away. A semi enclosed entrance courtyard constitutes a first exterior space for parents and children meeting and leaving.
The organic layout encourages movement as space becomes continuous and creates both exterior and interior rooms of challenging shapes. Windows are freely placed at different heights and allow for light and views to be adapted also to the scale of children, which further the relation between the interior and the exterior play ground and the wooded hill.
Together with the client and the teachers’ inspiration from the Reggio Emilia school, a new way to organize the interior was developed. The result is a rather unorthodox plan, where instead of a complete ’flat’ for each group of children, there will be a large common interior plaza where the six groups can interact around different activities, playing and learning projects. This main space is complemented with separate atelier spaces for water projects and art, as well as small secluded group rooms for rest and quiet activities.
By Tham & Videgard Arkitekter
