Doors Open Initiative: Child-friendly Architecture (Kindergarten Building) скачать в хорошем качестве

Doors Open Initiative: Child-friendly Architecture (Kindergarten Building)

Our Kindergarten, breaking ground in 1988, is a physical realisation of the principles of Steiner Waldorf education, which emphasises that young children are profoundly influenced by their environment. As part of the Open Doors Initiative, it opens its doors to the public. Footfall is challenged to identify how many pentagons are incorporated into the child-friendly architecture. The Kindergarten is an important example of the importance of the creative process in integrating style, construction and economy; and it has stood the test of time extremely well since opening in 1991. The final design is a product of the practice, having originated as a project by Wilfried Bohm, a Steiner teacher who observed the daily rituals of the kindergarten. The form successfully nurtures important elements in a child’s development by creating spaces in which to further everyday experiences within the ordered central spaces and encouraging the teachers and children to create their own worlds in the open teaching areas. The homely building allows children to develop vital early skills in an unhurried setting. The roof symbolises the mothering elements of the building, whilst the windows and column branches add lift to the elevation. Placing the building against the north boundary created the maximum amount of garden space from the narrow site and utilised the southerly orientation to maximise solar gain. This self-build project is a living example of a community approach to construction, built by a team of teachers, parents, contractors, former pupils and workers from the Garvald Training centre, with the children actively involved wherever possible, learning by observation and example. The quality of the work is obvious, maintained through the pride and dedication of all concerned. A ‘natural’ physical and spiritual environment has been created, and natural materials used wherever possible, including tactile wooden handles made by senior pupils.