Kindergarten Port, Stříbro Building, Czech Republic Design Project, Architecture Images
Kindergarten Port in Stříbro, Czech Republic
7 Dec 2020
Kindergarten Port
Architects: XTOPIX – Barbora Buryšková, Pavel Buryška
Location: Stříbro, Czech Republic
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
Kindergarten Port
With the exaggerated theme of the holiday by the sea, it is based on the location of the building on a smaller terrain, where the form evokes an ark ready for sailing. At the same time, the whole project is an initiating impulse for its surroundings.
It takes the position of a flagship that shows a new direction for the development of the entire site, the now dismal transformation area of the former barracks representing a smaller brownfield adjacent to the boundary of the historic city center. Its location provides the prospects for future conceptual development of both, in terms of transportation infrastructure (new urban connections) and multiple programs.
photo © Photo_Land05
The land delimited by the kindergarten building lies in the proximity of family houses and larger apartment buildings, schools and food markets concentrated around the nearby bus station. With regard to the construction program and the required number of floors of the new building (max. 2 floors), the built-up area of the nursery is complementing its flatter neighbors, however, in the maximum effort to reduce the garden built up.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
It was the outdoor area of the nursery that became essential during the formation of the urban solution. The chosen figure reflects the requirement to create two separate outdoor playgrounds, while at the same time allowing all classes to enjoy the most valuable views towards the historic core of the city (reinforcing the solidarity with the place). Turning the building towards the surrounding buildings reflects the path of the future extension of Prokop Holý Street, the mass of the house is ideally open to the sun all over its outer perimeter, with a well-defined generous pre-school space.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
The dramatic slope in the southeastern part of the land is left to the outdoor activities carried out by children. In the flat section of the garden there are two playgrounds, each with a special character – one opens more to the sun, the other less. One focuses more on physical activities (scooter track), balance and creativity while the other prefers games, gardening and frolicking (lighthouse, slides and other playable elements).
Surrounded by a diverse garden, a compact building for the nursery school has been installed. A moderate mass solution with a receding floor responds by its conception to an otherwise varied environment, whose architectural value varies widely. Despite the tightness of the object’s mass, a spatial game takes place inside the house.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
Through the covered barrier-free lee, the user enters the entrance hall connected to the neighboring central atrium, which represents the heart of the building, around which all the premises of the nursery are divided into clean and dirty are united. In addition to the function of the dining room, the atrium serves as a gallery of children’s creative fruits, a venue for celebrations, or a gym.
The classes are oriented towards the sunny side, however there is no direct exposure due to the appropriate rotation, which could have caused overheating of the living rooms. The service facilities are situated at the northern facades so that they also have their own entrance, apart from the main entrance campus.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
The use of roofs above the 1st floor increases the area of the outdoor living. The covered terrace, accessible from the gallery above the central atrium, is designed in a paraphrase of an outdoor gazebo or garden house. The extensive roof garden, consisting of colorful landscape, slows down the water run-off during rainfall, and thus reduces the dust and overheat of the surrounding.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
Building interior concept
The solution of the interior by means of intangible means finds the starting points by which each of the individual units stand out in the compact mass of the house. This is achieved mainly by means of colors. These define all building sub-files. The color difference of the operating units through the window openings gently leak into the exterior, but above all, inside the nursery, it provides easy orientation for its users i.e. children. They are easy to navigate in the building, and above all they identify with their own class. This graphic orientation helps them in doing that.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
Classes – Equipment solutions
Each class consists of 4 rooms: playroom, sun loungers, washrooms and dressing room. A uniform style of solution permeates them all. The playroom, the center of children’s daily activities, is further divided into two imaginary (non-structurally separated) parts – a creative part and the game part.
photo © Photo_Land05
In the first of the above, the height-adjustable tables are situated in a rectangular shape which allow various compositions or orientations. Here, children have space for their own creation and self-realization.
photo © Photo_Land05
The second part of the class remains open to games. Each class accommodates a cabinet wall formed by a regular grid for storing aids and toys. By removing the individual fields of the grid, the smallest spatial units of the class are created within the wall, so-called mowers, where children can hide in their adventure walks.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
Kindergarten Garden
Motto:
The Kindergarten is located on the edge of the slope, on the edge of the mansion, on the promontory, on the edge of the sea… it’s time to sail…
The mass of the house divides the garden into two parts – northwest and southeast. The flatter northwestern part is dominated by a circuit for bouncing around two sand impact surfaces with “sand dunes” – hills and other thematic game elements. The garden is primarily designed for quieter games for younger children. Then landing surfaces can also be used like a sand pit for playing.
The northern part of the garden is relatively narrow and due to the steep slope between the kindergarten building and the new retaining wall on the site boundary, it is not suitable for the placement of classic game elements. In spite of this, various Robinson’s games can be played here – hide and seek between rocks and willow trees, beneath tree tops. In the future, shrub willows will create lodges and mazes from branches.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
To the east, the garden gradually expands to create a second play area. In relation to the house a plane is created, which is again used as a large sand pit. The transition from the house to the central play area is solved through a wooden deck/pier, which leads children to the main play element of the entire garden – a lighthouse with a slide, nets, a climbing wall and a spacious gallery. In the vicinity of the lighthouse, two wooden play houses are designed, one on the feet and the second on the ground.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
Especially the cottage on its feet evokes a seaside atmosphere. In the upper part of the garden, under the foliage of existing trees, is a shower with a wooden deck where children can cool off on hot days. Behind a group of existing trees is a hidden ‘classic’ hanging swing and a grass patch for ball games.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
In an effort to preserve the maximum of the existing terrain, there are two elevation levels in this part of the garden, while the lower one can be accessed by a slide or by wooden stairs. At the lowest level another play area is created, called Treasure Land. Near the ship wreckage, there are two chests, and “gems” scattered all around that have been forgotten by the pirates. In the easternmost corner of the garden is a children’s vegetable garden with flower beds, fruit bushes, compost, a garden tap with a hose connection and a fireplace with seating.
Both gardens are complemented by the planting pine trees, deciduous trees, climbers and shrub willows with silver leaves (a reference to the name of the town of Stříbro). Plant species are chosen to create a seaside atmosphere.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
Roof garden
If the nursery building is a “ship” that carries small sailors to the desired destination, the roof garden is the upper deck where the captain has his binoculars set the course of the voyage. It also has a ship’s phone/silent mail to instruct other sailors and plenty of flags and signs to see where the wind is blowing into the sails.
The roof garden is a continuation of the individual classes, while extending the outdoor living space. The garden area consists of an extensive roof decorated with xerophilous plants. Local elevation of the terrain creates hills with higher ornamental grasses and fabric flags on masts, bird feeders and flags with maritime themes. The entire length of the walled railing of the roof garden is crowned by the lines of blooming vessels for ornamental grasses and creepers.
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
Kindergarten Port in Stříbro, Czech Republic – Building Information
Architects Studio: XTOPIX
Jury award within Counstruction of the Year of the Pilsen Region 2018
Investor: The City of Stříbro
Location: Prokopa Holého 1740, 349 01 Stříbro, Czech republic
Architects: Barbora Buryšková, Pavel Buryška
Garden Designer: Land05 Ateliér zahradní a krajinářské architektury – Martina Forejtová, Martina Havlová
Team: Barbora Buryšková, Pavel Buryška, Martina Forejtová, Martina Havlová, Michal Štěpař, Lukáš Makovský, Radek Prokeš
Graphic design: Artbureau – Jakub Wdowka, Tomáš Smrčka
Constructor: SWIETELSKY stavební s.r.o.
Design phase: 04/2016
Implementation: 09/2018
Site area: 2658 sqm
Built-up area: 844 sqm
Garden: 1814 sqm
Public space: 940 sqn
Enclosed volume: 7.975 m3
Usable area: 1.148,97 sqm
Costs: 66.000.000 CZK
photo © Ondřej Tylčer
Photography: Ondřej Tylčer and Photo_Land05
Kindergarten Port in Stříbro, Czech Republic images / information received 071220
Location: Prokopa Holého 1740, 349 01 Stříbro, Czech republic, central eastern Europe
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