Skip to: content

Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture as Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture as Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature Kindergarten as stage for play, Architecture as Teacher, Architecture of Nature

Aksdal Barnehage

Printer-friendly versionSend by email

Kindergarten and Early Education Center
Aksdal, Norway
Client: Tysvær kommune
Size:    631 m2

Our clients were looking into simultaneous construction of two new kindergartens in their municipality. A major criterion for their review of proposals would be “innovative approach to design of the kindergartens for future”. We chose to approach this project in collaboration with a movement artist who had been working with children for the last 10 years in various capacities. We won the commission for both kindergartens and went through a parallel design process which has produced two extremely different kindergartens for this community.

Conceptually we  explored three major ideas:

The first idea is the significant role Play plays in early education. We used the phrase “Play to learn, Learn to play” as a guideline. Here the word Play is used in its most extensive sense.

The second idea was that the built environment plays an active role in this program. The third and final idea is that the children would learn better when they actively participate in the programming of their daily activities.

The result is a building that is more of a Stage for learning and events than a kindergarten as we have come to understand the type. This is the most important concept. Series of stages, differentiated by scale, light, materiality and connection to the outdoors are conducive to different activities for various group sizes at any given time, daily and seasonally.

Furthermore, we propose that this building would act as a community center and be programmed more fully for communal events.

Public Projects