This kindergarten in the Torricella-Taverne municipality, located in the Lugano district of Switzerland, is part of the larger reorganisation of the Traversee area or the “AP-EP3 schools compartment”. The kindergarten is the first phase in the planned construction of various school and sports facilities.
In accordance with building parameters, the school was built above the existing Civil Defence Shelter (part of Switzerland's civil defense system). Functional spaces, including the kitchen, storerooms, technical rooms, and service accesses, are located on the shelter’s level (the school’s ground floor).
The kindergarten is certified in accordance with the Swiss Minergie standard for comfort, efficiency, and climate protection.
Infrastructural development
An exposed concrete wall denotes a key part of the infrastructural development of the school (which is also constructed with an exposed concrete structure). It redefines the building’s context and the way different elements relate to each other.
This wall acts as an elevated podium walkway and is an integral element of the new kindergarten, with the same abstract architectural language. The school’s compact volume is organised across three floors: the first and second floors rise above the podium. A pedestrian ramp connects the ground floor of a future sports field to a pedestrian walkway that is planned for the school’s entrance.
The building’s eastern and western facades are glazed, creating a horizontal linearity. This design emphasises the transparent and transverse connection between a park area and the sports field. The closed north and south facades define the ends of the architectural mass. An enclosed garden area for the kindergarten is located on one side of the building (with the walkway on the other side).
Blending design and function
The kindergarten’s design is conceived at a municipal level and from the perspective of a child. The building has four sections, characterised by the rhythm of solids and voids — these sections are defined by the connecting vertical volumes. Stairways sit between each pair of sections, optimising circulation spaces and eliminating corridors.
Four entrances welcome children into the atrium and from here they can ascend to the second floor. On this level, there are four classrooms for quiet activities, refectory spaces, hygiene care rooms, and storage rooms.
A paved area beyond the classrooms on the first floor extends into the enclosed garden, which houses storage rooms for outdoor games and equipment.
The kitchen and technical rooms are organised on the ground floor, at the same level as the sports field. They are directly connected to the upper floors by a lift.
Sustainability overview
The kindergarten’s design and build fulfils the Minergie energy standard. Minergie is a Swiss construction standard for comfort, efficiency, and climate protection.
The kindergarten’s sustainable initiatives include:
- An efficient, opaque envelope, combined with low-emissivity triple-glazed windows.
- Automated mobile external shading devices — installed on each facade, the devices adjust automatically based on solar radiation levels.
- A building automation system that integrates the functions of room thermostats with the control of external lights and sun blinds.
- A reversible air-water heat pump with heat recovery and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.
- A rooftop photovoltaic system.
