kindergarten architecture case study

Nandanam Kindergarten | PATH Architects & Planners

Nandanam Kindergarten is located in Cultural Zone, close to Matrimandir- the spiritual center of Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India. It was conceived when the children in Auroville outgrew the student intake capacity of the existing Kindergarten. The project was built in four phases starting from 2006 and was completed in 2014. Each phase took 9 months to complete and commenced as funds were available.

Global Architecture & Design Awards 2018 First Award | Category: Institutional (Built)

Architects: PATH Architects & Planners Country: India

Specification: Site Area: 6150sqm Ground Coverage: 925sqm Built Up Area: 737sqm Number of Floors: 1

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Inside the world’s best kindergarten

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At Fuji Kindergarten outside Tokyo, kids make the most of a magical environment designed just for them. The roof of their oval-shaped school, designed by Tokyo-based firm Tezuka Architects, is an endless playground, and trees grow right through classrooms.

So how do you build to let children be children? Says Takaharu Tezuka (TED Talk: The best kindergarten you’ve ever seen ): Think like a kid. He was inspired by his own daughter and son, now twelve and nine, who he says “have become a part of his body.” As they grew up, their habits and desires became his, and in designing his school with his wife, Yui, he only needed to channel them to know what to build. Explore the school and dive into Daddy and Mommy Tezuka’s kid-centered design thinking.

The playground lets kids run forever

“We designed the school as a circle, with a kind of endless circulation. When we started, I had no preconceived notions. Studying other kindergartens was like looking in the rearview mirror of a car: Even if you look very closely, you can’t see anything in front.”

Kids can slide to class

“We put in a small mound of dirt at the bottom of the stairs leading from the roof — this was a trick to make the stairs shorter. But then the children started taking away the dirt to make mud bowls — 6oo kids take mud away, and the mound started to disappear! The school had to keep asking the construction company to put mud back. (As the soil got harder, the kids stopped taking it home.) See the slide? I knew kids love to slide, but I actually wasn’t very keen on putting it in, because it tells children what they should and shouldn’t do. Without tools, the kids have to think for themselves and create games. But in the end we kept it: We needed a fire escape.”

Safety drills are super cute

“Japan gets ten percent of the world’s big earthquakes, so children have these earthquake drills. They take these cotton hats from under the table to protect their heads in case something falls. It’s a very Japanese thing.”

Being a non-human animal is encouraged

“Japanese building code says you have to have a vertical handrail with bars 100 millimeters apart so the kids can’t put their heads through. But: They can put their legs in, and kids love to swing their legs. Chimpanzees do the exact same thing — it’s a kind of instinct. And the way they do that is so cute.”

Anything can be a toy

“We had to build around the trees already there on the land. It wasn’t easy — we couldn’t cut the roots, which spread as wide as the tree crowns. We added these safety nets so the students wouldn’t fall through the holes around the trees. But I know kids, and they love to play with nets. Whenever they see a hammock, they want to jump into it, to shake it. These were really just an excuse for me to give the kids another way to play.”

Skylights for peekaboo

“The kids love to look through the skylights from the roof. ‘Where’s my friend?’ ‘What’s going on underneath in class?’ And when you look down, you always see kids looking up from below. Here, distraction is supposed to happen. There are no walls between classrooms, so noise floats freely from one class to the other, and from outside to inside. We consider noise very important. When you put children in a quiet box, some of them get really nervous.”

A chair can be a train

“Every month at Fuji the teachers and kids rearrange the classroom furniture. This little boy and girl were supposed to help make a new configuration, but they’re useless! They’re playing train instead. We filled the school with about 600 of these boxes, which are made from this very light wood known as kiri wood. It won’t hurt the kids if they hit their heads on the corner.”

A place for water-cooler talk

“These days Japanese kids only talk to computers. I hate it. I thought, if we put a well in each classroom, they’ll be forced to talk to each other. There’s a phrase in Japanese, ido bata kaigi , which means, ‘conference around the well.’ Women used to meet and exchange information when they went to get water. I wanted the children to do the same.”

Kids can also climb to class

“In 2011, we built an annex to the school with two more classrooms and some playing areas. We called it ‘Ring around the Tree,’ because when the architect Peter Cook visited he said it reminded him of the song ‘Ring Around the Rosie.’ I thought the tree should be more important than the building, so I made the building as light as possible. In this school, children are encouraged to climb trees. If a kid is strong enough, they can reach the upper level without using the stairs. Other schools might not allow this, but the principal here believes children know their own limits. They stop when they have to stop.”

Photos courtesy of Tezuka Architects. Photo of the “Ring Around the Tree” building by Katsuhisa Kida/FOTOTECA.

About the author

Thu-Huong Ha is a freelance writer. Previously she was the books and culture reporter for Quartz and the context editor at TED. Her writing has also appeared on Slate and in The New York Times Book Review. Her debut novel, Hail Caesar, was published in 2007 by PUSH, a YA imprint of Scholastic, and was named an NYPL Book for the Teen Age. Follow her at twitter.com/thu

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Fuji Kindergarten

A kindergarten in the shape of a oval with a perimeter of 183m, made for 500 children. It is conceived as a single village. The interior is an integrated space softly partitioned with furniture. Projecting through the roof deck are three preserved zelkova trees 25m in height.

total floor area : 1,304.01m² constructor : Takenaka Corporation completion : 2007

Photographer : Katsuhisa Kida / FOTOTECA

Photographer : Tezuka Architects

Sketch : Tezuka Architects

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Early Childhood Education: The Case for Architecture

2015, Dissertation

The research explores the educational value that the physical structure of early years’ facilities can impart and its consequential effects on the child’s experience at preschool. The study starts out by investigating historical developments in different pedagogies and how the current values of self-directed learning, autonomy and child-centeredness came about. Education in this case is considered from a holistic perspective, encompassing not only the academic outlook but also the physical, cognitive and socio-emotional spheres. The study investigates how different architectural elements can serve as educational tools in these areas, and how education can be made more effective through the successful integration of pedagogy with building fabric. The research examines a number of case studies that exemplify the main arguments proposed through their design and the way it was developed. Key parameters are subsequently identified as being fundamental to the effective design of early years’ environments, such as the play value of a building, the inclusion of multisensory elements, environmental affordances, the child’s appropriation of space and user participation. Moreover it is suggested that the way forward is through the holistic integration of multidisciplinary research that can better inform the architect’s brief in the design of early years’ facilities.

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Although the active role of the environment in education has been widely accepted, only few schools render this consideration into built spaces. This is mostly due to a lack of communication between educators and designers. This paper aims to begin to bridge the gap between pedagogy and architecture by exploring aspects of child development and implications for designing developmentally appropriate environments. Five aspects of child development are considered: physical, ego, cognitive, social and ethical. What is known about child development in each of these areas has significant implications for designing schools in new and innovative ways to better foster student learning. This analysis of child development highlights common themes of how schools should be designed including a variety of scale, exposure to nature, and interactivity of spaces. This interdisciplinary approach to design has significant implications for the development of school buildings.

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This research explores the quality and importance of the physical environment of two early learning centres on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, utilising qualitative interviews with parents (n=4) and educators (n=4) to understand how design might impact on children’s development and a quantitative rating (the Early Childhood Physical Environment Rating Scale; ECPERS) to assess the quality of the physical built environment and infrastructure. With an average ECPERS quality rating, thematic analysis of the interviews revealed that educators and parents viewed the physical environment as important to a child’s development, although the quality of staff was predominant. Early learning centres should be ‘homely’, inviting, bright and linked to the outdoors, with participants describing how space “welcomes the child, makes them feel safe and encourages learning”. Four key themes characterised views: Emotional Connection (quality of staff and physical environment), Experiencing Design (impact of design on child development), Hub for Community Integration (relationships and resources) and Future Vision (ideal physical environment, technology and ratings). With participants often struggling to clearly articulate their thoughts on design issues, a collaborative and jargon-free approach to designing space is required. These findings will help facilitate discussion about the role and design of the physical environment in early childhood centres, with the tangible examples of ‘ideal space’ enhancing communication between architects and educators about how best to design and reconfigure space to enhance learning outcomes

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The quality of education process in an early childhood education institution can be defined by several factors, including the creation of spatial environment. It has a significant impact on the children’s learning and education perspectives, as well as on the possibilities of children engaging in various social interactions. The affirmation of the multidisciplinary approach in the process of designing spatial environment of an early childhood education institution requires networking and cooperation among experts in the fields of pedagogy and architecture. Teachers, educators, architects, designers, landscape architects and other profiles of experts invest a joint effort in the process of developing, shaping, and designing the facility of an early childhood education institution and its spatial features. Including the educational ideas into the architectural design of an early childhood education institution enables prevention and/or overcoming of the barriers that have a negative e...

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Horizon Research Publishing(HRPUB) Kevin Nelson

The children are no longer regarded as passive users of their educational places; rather, they are viewed as active contributors to spatial design of these spaces. Kindergartens have profound contribution to children’s psychological and cognitive development as children perceive the environmental elements and aspects through their sensory activities. One of the major contemporary challenges to kindergartens is the gap between children’s needs and kindergarten design. This study aimed at developing new paradigm of kindergarten architectural design that considers child’s psychology to improve design of child-oriented spaces, and consequently, children’s sense, awareness, and experience of space. The study followed mixed-method approach, which consisted of (i) qualitative part that was based on survey of kindergartens in two Jordanian cities and observation of architectural design elements and children’s behaviors in four of them and (ii) quantitative part that involved the use of questionnaire for collection of data from kindergarten residents. The results revealed that atmospheres of the four study kindergartens do not reflect innovative construction craft.With respect to environmental scale, it was found that architectural designs of those kindergartens do not meet children’s ergonomic requirements, especially the public spaces. As to esthetic character, this study found that the cartoon images in the kindergartens have poor symbolism. This results in low level of empathic expression that causes esthetic inconvenience. Regarding recognizability, it was found that architectural designs of the kindergartens are inclusive; respondents’ feedback supports that their designs almost addressed all parts, components, and elements of kindergarten buildings, teaching rooms, corridors, entrance spaces, and playgrounds. However, levels of integration of architectural designs with the surroundings are not optimal or satisfactory. The study results lead the researcher to the conclusion that there is limited interaction of the children in the study kindergartens with their environment due to shortcomings in the architectural design and the associated space experience. In consequence, the researcher proposes a new paradigm of kindergarten architectural design that stresses the spatial values of the architecture. It takes child’s psychology into account and provides (i) insights for design of child-friendly kindergarten and (ii) highlights for an efficient design of the classroom and playground areas.

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Tezuka Architects' Fuji Kindergarten Wins 2017 Moriyama RAIC International Prize

• Written by Patrick Lynch
• Published on September 20, 2017

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has announced Tezuka Architects ’ Fuji Kindergarten in Tokyo as the winner of the 2017 Moriyama RAIC International Prize . Established by Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama and the RAIC in 2014, the $100,000 prize is awarded every two years to recognize a single work of architecture from around the globe “that is judged to be transformative within its societal context and promotes the values of social justice, equality, and inclusiveness.”

"I feel now there is someone who understands this project well. I think it's quite a unique prize because it's about contributing to society,” commented Takaharu Tezuka. "It looks like a simple structure. But it's a layering of many ideas combined."

Fuji Kindergarten was selected from a four-strong shortlist including BIG’s 8 House in Copenhagen; the Melbourne School of Design by John Wardle Architects and NADAAA; and the Village Architect, Shobac Campus by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects. The inaugural prize was won by Li Xiaodong for his design of the Liyuan Library, located in a small village outside Beijing .

“This is a prize that will continue to acknowledge the important work of transformative architecture worldwide and its designers,” commented Raymond Moriyama. “No matter the scale or size of the building, the Prize provides an opportunity to recognize design qualities which make a positive contribution. Society is evolving, we hope, toward more equality and social justice. Architects can provide leadership by creating inspiring buildings in service to a community.”

Completed in 2007 in Tokyo, Japan, the Fuji Kindergarten is a single-story, oval-shaped building that encourages children to play and interact by breaking down the physical barriers found in the typical early childhood educational architecture. Large sliding glazed doors lining the interior of the ring are opened up for a majority of the year, allowing children to freely pass between indoor and outdoor areas, encouraging independence and socialization. An accessible roof becomes the main play space for the school, giving students an endless path to run, jump and play.

All these design decisions have led to a learning environment that improves learning ability, calmness and focus, even in children with behavioral disorders.

“What we want to teach through this building are values of human society that are unchanging, even across eras,” said Tezuka Architects in their submission statement. “We want the children raised here to grow into people who do not exclude anything or anyone. The key to Fuji Kindergarten was to design spaces as very open environments, filled with background noise. When the boundary disappears, the constraints disappear. Children need to be treated as a part of the natural environment.”

“What perhaps sets the Fuji Kindergarten apart is the sheer joy that is palpable in this architecture,” said Barry Johns, FRAIC, Jury Chair and a Trustee of the RAIC Foundation. “It is one of those rare buildings—comprised of a geometric plan, a single section, a roof, and a tree—that in their utter simplicity and unfettered logic magically transcend the normal experience of learning. This winning project should give all architects around the world reason for great optimism that humanity benefits enormously from the creation of such a deeply simple and yet sophisticated architecture of unquestionable redeeming value.”

In addition to the $100,000 grand prize, three $5,000 scholarships were awarded to three architecture students: University of Waterloo student (and ArchDaily intern) Osman Bari ; Alykhan Neky of Ryerson University; and Tanya Southcott, McGill University. Winners were selected based on an illustrated 1,000-word essay on the following topic: Please describe the moment—the circumstances, the nature of the event—when you decided to become an architect, or when you knew that your decision to become an architect was the right one.

“The student scholarships are equally important to raise the aspirations of up-and-coming architects,” said Moriyama. “I congratulate the three winners and wish them well in their pursuit of architecture as a worthy profession.”

Learn more about the 2017 Moriyama RAIC International Prize here .

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手冢建筑的‘富士幼儿园’斩获2017 Moriyama RAIC国际建筑奖

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