The space in which small children stay affects their development and well-being. It is also of great importance in supporting the learning process. The refurbishment project of an interior in Kindergarten nr 42 “Kwiaty Polskie” by Atelier Starzak Strebicki represent all the considerable aspect in reshaping the 137m2 area.
A well-designed kindergarten should in a balanced way combine different needs of the youngest: give children a sense of security, encourage them to experiment, develop their independence, create zones for calmness and rest, as well as for movement and unrestricted fun.
A kindergarten is a place that should work on all children’s senses. In the kindergarten No. 42 “Kwiaty Polskie”, the interiors of two classrooms were rebuilt. Adjacent, spacious rooms were separated by two-winged – and usually closed – doors.
After consultation with kindergarten teachers running the neighboring groups, it was decided to open the space and allow free flow of activity between the rooms. The massive upholstered door was replaced with sliding, wooden panels painted half-height with panel emulsion.
The interior color scheme has also been calmed down. The walls and ceiling were painted white, while the areas that get dirty the fastest were painted with easily washable gray paint.
Under the windows, along the entire length of the wall, a wide window sill was installed, which serves as a countertop for construction and drawing.
The window sill is also a convenient viewpoint for children to observe what is happening outside. Mezzanine allows the children to observe everything from the ceiling, and hide in a corner floor below, and its stairs also act as an auditorium.
In this room, just like in the other one, a wide wooden window sill stretches along with the windows, where the youngest can both place blocks and just sit and watch the world go by.
Each of the rooms of the kindergarten “Kwiaty Polskie” designers from the studio Atelier Starzak Strebicki divided into zones: table, located at the very entrance – where children eat meals and shared fun – in the center. Thanks to the open passage between the rooms, a really large area was created.
The third zone – in the northern room for the art workshop, and in the southern room for physical activity – encourages children to integrate and explore both rooms.
Individual zones were separated from each other by low, mobile cabinets, where all the things needed for work and play kept, which allow, depending on the needs and imagination, to reduce and expand space.
Photograph: Mateusz Bieniaszczyk