We’ve recently been involved in a childcare centre project in South Australia. This project has allowed our team to continue our exploration into architecture for early education, exploring how internal and external built environments can foster and support early learning.
Site + context
The centre is located in Mount Barker, in the Adelaide Hills and is situated on a large site surrounded by established gums. The site came with some interesting parameters including a busy main road to the east, a reasonable slope across the property as well as a heritage building to be retained and extended to allow for its adaptive reuse.
Through the initial phases of the project, we quickly identified that we wanted to allow the heritage house to be emphasised as the primary architectural expression, with the new addition subtly tucked behind. The range of facilities required, meant there was quite a large building mass to strategically locate. Fortunately the size of the site allowed for the orientation of the building to be opened to both the north and south, allowing views into the adjacent outdoor play spaces and larger trees beyond.
Outdoors
We visited the centre on a sunny day last winter. It had been in operation for some time by then and it was great to see the spaces full of life and activity. The large outdoor play space was all action with children engaging with the different play elements, happy to be outside after the prior week of rain. The large deciduous trees are a dramatic feature hanging above the play space with the whole area feeling separate and protected from the busy road and carpark.
Indoors
The internal layout prioritises connectivity between spaces allowing for effective supervision and ease of movement between facilities for the staff and children. The entry and reception is located within the same space as the dining area and open kitchen, an important central space that all the children visit to eat and engage in food education. The dining area was also strategically placed to act at the same time as a widened corridor, the connection point between the heritage building and the new addition. It has become the informal meeting point where children and staff intermingle on their journeys throughout the day. The visibility from the entry and reception also allows parents popping in to be connected and exposed to the children’s activities.
The corridors were designed to allow a wash of light to filter into the spaces. Rather than solely being circulation space, the larger corridors become congregation areas where parents catch up and children meet before entering their rooms. It feels like its own distinct area which provides variation in the spaces the children inhabit through the day. Highlight windows above and views into a courtyard at the end of the corridor, transforms the circulation space into a visually interesting space that is easily activated and utilised with children’s artwork lining the walls.
The adaptive reuse of a heritage building
The heritage building was in a state of disrepair and required some sensitive improvements to allow the building to be reused. We prioritised retaining the period features internally while opening up the spaces to allow for adequate supervision and connection. The size of the rooms allow for smaller, more intimate group activities.
Incorporating flexibility into childcare design
The layout of the facility sees the older children in the heritage building with direct access into the large outdoor play space that holds more challenging equipment. The younger children are in an area a distance away, which allows a separation between more active, louder spaces and quieter areas for children that require naps during the day. While the rooms were designed to open up to the surrounding outdoor play spaces, they can also be successfully shut down so whole rooms can be transformed into low lit, quiet spaces conducive to transition times into rest.
Supervision + efficient circulation
A key design decision we incorporated was locating the reception centrally rather than at the front, within the heritage building. The movement of staff, parents and children are far more efficient due to this. Along with enhancing the efficiency of the building program by reducing circulation space, this also had the benefit of freeing up the whole heritage house to incorporate spaces for children.
The position of the entry and offices means that the director along with the administrative staff can be directly associated to the daily activities of the teaching staff and children. They too are a part of the children’s lives and can facilitate and respond to needs in a more engaged and connected way.
Project outcomes
Overall, the layout allows the facility to be effectively moved through and supervised while the open nature of the spaces allow for a broad range of stimulating activities. In addition, we were pleased to see an outcome that highlighted the heritage building, as we’re always in support of the re-use of building stock rather than the disposal of useable building materials.
Team:
Architects: Gardiner Architects
Photographers: Aaron Citti
