Schools

Skovlunde Daycare Centre

Project information

  1. Location Skovlunde, Denmark
  2. Area2.500 m²
  3. Construction cost68 mill DKK

Project details

  1. Year2017 — 2018
  2. StatusCompleted
  3. Partners SlothMøller
    Grethe Kragh-Müller
  4. Client Ballerup Kommune
  5. Enquiries Susanne Hansen
    Lisbeth Olsen
  6. Scope Education environments
    Sustainability
    New Build
    Landscape design

Himmel & Hav, translated as "sky and sea," is a seamlessly integrated daycare centre that not only replaces three outdated centres in Skovlunde, but also reimagines the concept of early childhood education. Situated amidst nature's lush embrace, this innovative space blurs the boundaries between indoor and outdoor realms, inviting children to explore and learn in harmony within the environment. The daycare centre offers a diverse range of spaces, designed to foster both communal interactions and moments of quiet contemplation. It's a holistic environment that cherishes the individuality of each child while nurturing a sense of community.

Scale, identity, and sustainability are the proposal's keywords for an organization and design that supports the political visions for how daycare centres are run today.

"The nursery school appears as one building, but at the same time it consists of several smaller buildings. The design language is stylistically confident" - excerpt from judge's report.

Small urban houses

Starting from the kindergarten as the first democratic space of experience, we have created a building with the intention to gradually prepare, empower and inspire children in their playful encounter with surroundings, people and impressions.

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Town square

'The Red City' is arranged as a series of smaller buildings that gather around the building's central arrival space: 'The Red Square'. A shared and active urban space at child height, from which the world of the children's house emerges.

The Red Square is a shared space that connects the entire building and provides a wide variety of uses including space-consuming play, 'window displays' and 'bread sales', holiday celebrations and other games.

The square is like a real city square, bringing together the many small houses in the children's village. The space is acoustically regulated as a city silhouette that includes all religions and cultures in the area.

Movement landscapes

The movement landscapes are organised so that the many activities can take place simultaneously, up and down, indoors and outdoors, supporting everything from Immersion and discovery in nature, hide-and-seek and sports.

Sustainable daycare centre

The daycare centre represents many nuances and room for the individual, as well as the child's curiosity and our shared responsibility for a sustainable future. The vision of the project was to minimize the environmental impact of both the size and carbon footprint of the building.

Even with space for 210 children, there is a large outdoor area with biodiversity and opportunities for all types of activities thanks to a compact building structure. The building is flexible and open to new pedagogical approaches and adapts to changing needs. It is integrated with its surroundings but is able to provide ample parking, a production kitchen, community room and playground.