ELS DAUS - MUNICIPAL NURSERY SCHOOL: CARDEDEU
The definition of this project was established on the basis of a reflection on two essential concepts: firstly on an analysis of the meaning of a nursery school and its importance for a small child, as a place in which to relate to others away from the child’s home, and secondly an analysis of the kind of building that would be ideal for this purpose, bearing in mind both the first aspect and the site on which it was to be located.
A detached building was planned, where the program could be fully developed on a ground floor level, through the interplay of architectural volumes, seemingly laid out at random, as on a games table, and serving as a metaphor of the meaning of the building itself. The apparently random positioning of the cubic modules that contain the classrooms, as if casually scattered about the plot, results in the generation of interior spaces that, finding themselves communicated with the exterior on both sides, have made it possible for them to be used as a large covered playground (suitable for specific occasions, such as rainy days) and serving as a space that is complementary to the exterior yard.
The cubes, containing the classrooms, have been meticulously thought out and designed to be of a size that will allow for games to be played along with activities that stimulate the children’s cognitive and sensory development, their interaction within the group, their imagination and language. These cubes manage to maintain a close relationship between the exterior space and the central interior space, including a room set aside for psychomotricity activities and the staff room. Both of these spaces, separated from each other by curtains and variations in the flooring materials used, can also be integrated into the central space when required.
The administration and services modules (kitchen, store, laundry, washrooms, baby-feeding area…) are all located alongside the entrance hall.
The aim is to avoid the children feeling that they are trapped within the space, but rather to seek a balance that gives priority to providing them with spaces that are open and yet, at the same time, protected.
The presence of an adjoining urban garden space has been taken full advantage of as the location for the entrances to the nursery, allowing the children the opportunity to use the play equipment and converting this space into a kind of large open air waiting room, as well as the area in which, before and after school, both the children and the adults that accompany them can mingle and establish relationships.
The project is also defined by the high level of sustainability of the materials used and the capacity of its constructive systems to improve the building’s energy performance, including a ventilated façade, built using recycled rubber, or the use and promotion of cross-ventilation systems, as well as the installation of hot-water piping that contributes to a 30% reduction in consumption, thanks to the under-floor heating.
