Kindergarten “Nueva Creación”

Onnis Luque

• Architects

This project is part of a program planned for the municipality of Tultepec, State of Mexico. A developing entity recognized for its work with the manufacture and detonation of pyrotechnic fireworks, which for many years has been the focus of economic.

Based on this approach, the Ministry, together with the department of urban planners, intended to equip areas of interest in this locality, in order to achieve urban improvement and economic recovery. As part of the request for post-pandemic economic recovery, it was stated that throughout the construction of the projects, local labor and manual work would be encouraged in order to generate sources of employment.

This Urban Improvement Program has a socio-cultural and educational approach, therefore, within the portfolio of possibilities, it was sought that one of the projects would contribute a facility within the educational field. The objective is to have more habitants with access to an education of a good quality right from an early age. Through architecture and urban planning, society's problems are addressed, and with these tools we intend to raise the educational level of the population and thus minimize problems such as violence, insecurity and vandalism.

Based on our experience we have established a position that seeks to offer the possibility of future uses for the buildings. We do not only aim to cover the initial need, but also to ensure that the buildings can become an instrument for social appropriation and that they can be used for other purposes in the future.

We thought about the age of those who have to study there so that through the shapes, spatial sequences and volumetry would be possible the realization of a clean education by supporting the child to develop experiences and identify themselves within the school.

Because of our experience, we are been aware of the fact that an efficient classroom is not a squared one. This is one of the reasons why we have sought to erase any sharp edges by rounding the corners of the classrooms. On the other hand, this gesture generates a safe environment for children and non-linear transitions that cause a better flow trough spaces, providing an unconscious sense of security for students as there are no sharp edges or angles.

In our perspective, as long as the light is more homogeneous in the transition spaces there will be a greater comfort, so we looked for the zenith light to be transmitted by omnidirectional geometries, which is projected through circular skylights from where it passes into the interstices of the classrooms. This light entry extends without direction or breaks, allowing an immersive illumination. Preventing the light from being framed leads to a sense of tranquility that causes lingering in the spaces, which is what we were aiming for. We think that education is not only carried out inside the classrooms but also outside them, so the space between them is of great importance in the project. The specific orientation of each classroom promotes permanence in the transitory spaces. Through the rotation of the volumes of the classrooms we intend to generate a static space that invites the student to stay.