The design addresses the plot’s slope by gradually lowering the building, fitting all children facilities on a single floor. It privileges access to the outdoors, and provide all homerooms with direct connection to the indoor and outdoor playgrounds.
The massing grows towards north, maximizing sun exposure, but also growing together with the kids, as they grow older, floor heights are as well higher. The building is fragmented in smaller volumes that children can easily identify and relate to the different spaces.
Rather than corridors, the circulation is done along a central axis entirely opened to common functions for both learning and playing.
The whole concept is focused on providing a safe and warm environment for play and growth, and the building and grounds are part of the learning experience.
The design promotes awareness and respect for the environment and creates opportunities for learning through work and play. The food cycle is highlighted by showcasing the kitchen and the greenhouse both from the outside and inside from the multi-purpose hall. There is also a didactic farming area, so children will experience the food from cultivation to waste sorting.
Materiality is selected with environmental impact in mind. Environmentally friendly concrete is used in foundations and ground slab, and the structural system is made of cross-glued timber, as a light and strong load-bearing material is well suited for earthquake areas. The structural system is simple and allows for efficient and quick construction that minimizes waste. It is based on an C-like shape that is simple, stable and strong. Interior partitions are made lightweight allowing maximum flexibility for any changes in operational needs in the future.