THE SPIRAL SCHOOL

The brief asked for the design of the kindergarten in which the freedom of movement of kids would not be limited by the challenges of stairs. Paradoxically, however, at the same time the footprint of the building was strictly regulated and limited by the Local Development Plan requiring the main program to be distributed between two or more storeys.

What at first was a seemingly impossible scenario, become the primary driver to the design. The project took on a strip typology kindergarten, and wrapped it around twice in a circle to create a continuous ramp of two stories. The building, whilst complying with the challenging regulations, from user perspective can be perceived as one seamless floor with an extremely gentle slope on the circulation corridors. Children have an easy, limitless and playful access to the entire object, courtyard and the adjacent garden, without barriers.

Given our situation today, in facing the greatest ecological and environmental challenges, timber outshines all other materials. The usage as timber, was carefully selected, to bolster the environmental virtues, reducing CO2, and creating a warm interior for the children. The timber also functions to acoustically dampen the otherwise noisy interiors. Building in timber is a form of climate activism. When we demonstrate that timber is not only an easy and cost effective material to build from, but actually can be incredibly beautiful, offering elegant and warm interiors, we are shifting the mind sets of everyone who visits the building that timber is a great option. In the scenario of a kindergarten, we are raising multiple generations with a perception of wood as a default.