Nature-Based Early Childhood Education Center
After nearly 25 years of developing and running early childhood centres the owners approached us with their desire to create a new centre with a strong focus on sustainable environmental education.
The centre is made up of a series of smaller connected forms, with the kitchen/eating space at the centre where everyone is brought together to share a meal. We focused on creating a comfortable, homely atmosphere in all the childrens’ spaces, and providing ample connections to a variety of outdoor spaces so that children can freely move between indoor and out, as outdoor play is actively encouraged in the centre
During the design process we were constantly thinking of the building from the child’s perspective, trying to create spaces that are exciting and well suited to them.
Childspace’s new flagship building their nature-based early education. An inspirational place of learning for both children and adults, raising the bar for nature-focused early childhood education in Aotearoa.
Reflecting the ethos of the centre -and our own practice- a range of sustainable concepts were incorporated into the design such as passive solar heating and cooling, solar power generation, responsible use of roof water and grey water, maximizing natural light, and natural materials.
The western wing of the building contains the staff facilities and administrative activities of the building. This form of this reflects that of a classic kiwi barn, with a low-pitched roof gable, ensuring the building doesn’t look out-of-place from the rural road at the back of the site below.
