Design Educates Awards 2022

Located in a strategic corner of the Poblenou district in Barcelona, currently an empty plot next to the Poblenou Central Park and Diagonal Avenue, this new kindergarten welcomes children from 0 to 6 years old. The aim is to offer a place where children and teachers feel embraced and looked after, and that the parents and the whole community can use and relate to. The playground would open to the local community outside teaching hours. The brief considers an educational project similar than most of the municipal kindergartens and inspired by the Montessori and Reggio Emilia pedagogies. A key aspect of the project is to provide spaces that offer different learning through play situations for the child to choose from, depending on his own interests. The design of this kindergarten reflects the values of the educational project, as we believe that architecture and pedagogy should be in a constant dialogue. The design of the building expands the playground area at ground floor by creating a walkable landscape on the roof, thus expanding the play areas, the visual connections along the spaces and the opportunities for social interactions. The undulating roof appears from underneath as series of curved beams that form a flowing spatial experience with changing contours as one moves along the space. The building is formed by two wings that embrace the central playground, with all the classrooms facing the playground. The central entrance articulates the two wings, each one with a big long hall as multifunctional space and a row of classrooms. The classrooms open towards the hall as well as the playground, so that the spaces are linked. The structure of the building consists of a series of undulating beams that follow a central axis across the entire length of the building, which contains the services and facility areas. Both the street and playground façades have a slight undulation, contributing to add dynamism to the spaces. Upon walking through the building, the spaces unfold, revealing different sight lines, activities, and lighting qualities.