AEC - Architecture of Early Childhood

Little Earth Montessori "Enviro" Preschool in Paraparamu, NZ

Completed in 2009 Little Earth Montessori was designed by Don Jamieson Architecture and was a runner up in the National Sustainability Award by NZ Wood. A green, environmentally and sustainably designed school, it reflects the Montessori philosophy of holistic development creating independent learners.

‘He maungarongo ki runga i te whenua’
‘May peace prevail on Earth’

With the sun reflecting off these words adorning the peace pole in six languages in the centre of the garden, the Little Earth Montessori preschool is a haven of peace and reflects a growing in harmony with nature.

From their website: "Little Earth Montessori Kapiti is a place where learning and the natural world are connected. We provide children with a setting in which they can grow, develop a sense of belonging, experience the joy of learning and nurture their sense of wonder."

Rammed earth walls, untreated, sustainably harvested cedar, sandstone pavers and use of natural light and ventilation makes for a healthy, naturalised learning environment. An article from Kapiti Independent News describes a visit to the centre, where the children are making 'wild bird cookies' to hang from the because, they explain, "Birds don't get enough food in winter."

Strengthening one's connection with nature and the environment is an integral part of the ECEC.

"Within the child lies the fate of the future" - Maria Montessori

The children are involved in planning and planting the organic winter garden, as well as experimenting with making soil from scratch. In the enclosed garden at the front of the section, free range chickens and guinea pigs "strut and dash among the fruit trees."

The building is designed for passive solar heating with thermal mass in the concrete floor and rammed earth feature walls. High ceilings and opening windows allow for natural ventilation of the internal spaces. Rain water is harvested for use in the toilets and laundry. (Don Jamieson website)

Natural finishes are used where possible for the interior surfaces.

Overall the building design reflects the philosophies and learning methods of the Montessori preschool. The use of natural materials, and the open access to the outdoor environment, which utilises also natural elements for exploration and play - drift wood gardens, sandpits, and differing natural rocks. No brightly coloured plastic play objects are seen here.

Andrew Sexton introduces architecture into the lives of some Wellington pre-schoolers

'Snake in the Garden' is an article in Architecture New Zealand written in 2009 by Peta Nichols on the NZIA award winning snake storage units designed by architect Andrew Sexton for Hataitai Kindergarten.

Nichols describes typical New Zealand educational buildings as exhibiting "grey lino, discoloured walls and pastel green and pink highlights", the architecture providing poor inspiration for children "developing, socialising and apparently discovering creativity." Rather creativity in the ECEC is "provided by the children themselves, via the abundance of art and exploration scattered throughout the mediocre spaces."

The snake-like storage fit-out cleverly rejuvenates the ECEC's interior space at a low cost. Creating subtle boundaries, emplacing thresholds between spaces, the brightly coloures scales fit into the overall kindergarten scheme.

This project realises creativity and functionality with a playful approach. Andrew Sexton has proven that architecture can play a significant role in producing clever design solutions for improving early childhood education spaces.

Kindergarten interiors - creative & imaginative spaces for play

So often the design of ECEC's schools and playgrounds have been dictated by durability, cost-savings and maximisation of space, whilst fun and play has sufficed. There is a need to rethink how we design for children that is inspiring, and imaginative for play, and this change is beginning to happen. As seen here there is an emergence of purpose-made designs for ECEC play interior environments.

In Israel: Tel-Aviv based designer Sarit Shani Hay designs fun kindergarten spaces taking her inspiration from the kindergartens surroundings - a farm with lush vegetable gardens.

A mushroom serves as a house, a hiding place and a play station. All the objects she designs don't just look inviting but are designed for their inspiration for play and interaction. They not only serve functions such as sitting, but invite the children to discover and experiment.

Lev-Gargir Architects also based in Tel Aviv designed this space with Bauhaus principles in mind for the floor plans and elevations and worked with Sarit Shani Hay for the interiors.

Maison des Petit's (House of Little One's) designed by french designer Matali Crasset is an activity centre in the art centre 104 Centquartre in Paris; for children under six, with creativtiy and discovery the only goals.

The space is divided into distinct areas for children of different ages and abilities and furnished with free-standing, mushroom-like structures.

It is a place for meeting and mediation where people come to become familiar with artistic practices, a new logic of spending time of surprise and dicovery.

Taka-Tuka-Land Kindergarten, designed by Baupolitan, a group of architecture students studying at Faculty VI, Institute for Architecture at Berlin Univeristy developed this project from concept to implementation.

Taka-Tuka-Land is based on Pippi Longstockings, a book by the Swedish author Astrid Lingdren. The children at the kindergarten and their teachers created collages, models, drawings and ideas based on Taka-Tuka-Land.

The Baupiloten students then spent several days with the children observing their daily routines, schedules and their ways of communicating.

From this research, the design was developed. The building itself is Pippi's old oak tree that contains a lemonade factory. The lemonade breaks through the bark of the tree and flows outside creating padded play areas.

The story of the building is a trip through the through the seven stages of the lemon tree, each facilitating a different activity: The lemonade tree, Glittering lemonade in the sun, Lemonade drops, The lemonade island, Waiting for the parents, Lemonade gallery, The bark breaks open, and Delving into lemonade.

Whilst the examples above are no doubtedly visually exciting and imaginatively appealing offering fun play experiences, (and create beautiful photographic imagery), there seems to be little consideration when designing these spaces of the children's wider well-being - emotional, psychological and spiritual.

Some international contemporary examples of ECE architecture

Many architects overseas are creating fun, playful and creative architectural environments. Here is a glimpse of a few recent projects, which utilise colour and imagination.

Jarun Kindergarten and Nursery by Penezic & Rogina Architects
Zagreb, Croatia
2006

Kindergarten KeKec by Arhitektura Jure Kotnik
Ljubljana, Slovenia
2010

Kekec is an extension of a typical Slovene prefab kindergarten from the 1980's.

Made from prefabricated wood, it was built in three days only.

The design concept derives from the existing kindergarten's lack of play equipment.

The new facade solves this problem by offering play with the slatted walls. From the architects: "as the children manipulate the colourful wooden planks they get to know different colours, experience wood as a natural material and constantly change the appearance of their kindergaten, all at the same time."

Here is an example of architecture serving a role in offering play for children (rather than purely objects/toys). The interactive facade allow children to manipulate their environment and play a role in the amount of light and air allowed into the spaces.

Kindergarten Sighartstein by Kadawittfeldarchitektur
Sighartstein, Austria
2009

"Can you hear the grass growing?"

The concept of the facade is blades of grass which serve also as shading and a continuation of the landscape.

From the architects: "As the kindergarten is the first station of education, we have chosen green as the ‘color of life, youth, and spring.’ The psychological workings of the color green play an important role: Green is a color that calms and harmonizes. Green enhances qualities such as helpfulness, endurance, tolerance, and contentedness. In color therapy, green is viewed as a neutral healing color that balances without causing bodily pain or counter-reactions. It creates a space for gathering energy and promotes regeneration."