Kindergarden ‘Sparrows nest’

A kindergarten institution invited SPAR*K to a competition for a new day-care centre design on a 6500 sqm site in Berlin, SPAR*K won the 3rd prize.
The large outdoor area protected by the new volume from the public space and street, a small park is created which offers numerous playing possibilities for the kids. The building will be an ecological and sustainable two-storey timber frame construction which convinces due to its logical organisation: all children below the age of three are situated on the ground floor while the older kids and most of the office spaces are placed on the first floor. Build-in furniture divides the group spaces from secondary spaces, the storage furniture can be moved, and thus both areas can be connected to one flexible large space. While the groups on the first floor have access to the green terraces, children groups on the ground floor have direct access to the garden.
The cantilevering first floor, the ‘sparrow’s nest’ contains a multi-functional space and an outdoor playing area which is accessible both from the outdoor garden and the first floor interior. Underneath the canopy, a protected area allows outdoor play even in bad weather conditions. The folded roof is optimized for solar gain and ideal lighting conditions. Also, the surface playfully covers the volume; the building thus appears differently from every angle.