Los Rosales Kinder Garden
This is a single storey building, providing ecological value to the plot, minimizing the impact of the building, which is designed with accessibility in mind.
Taking the characteristics of the urban environment into account, with its large open spaces and high-rise towers, the objective was to design a building that would create its own scale and shelter itself. At the same time, the diversification of the kindergarten program led to the recommendation that its functions should be independent but organized into groups with common development and use. The kindergarten plans were based on three separate volumes interconnected by large spaces for meeting and socializing.
The building is accessed through two volumes through the eastern facade. The main volumes are classrooms; they were organized according to different school years. The first volume accommodates classrooms for years 0 to 3 and enjoys a south facing garden. The second, shorter volume, houses the classrooms for years 3 to 6, and has a south facing garden sheltered from the area’s prevailing winds, adjoining the building’s access point.
The third volume houses the school’s communal functions, such as the kitchen, dining room, multi- purpose hall, toilet hub, stores and utility rooms, the latter having independent access from outside. These three volumes are joined via a wide space that surrounds them all and contains the socializing zone on one side; enclosed by the build- ing’s entrance hall, and on the other, the administrative area, with the reception, staff room and board room. All of these are linked to the building’s access point. The architectural solution was developed with a clear layout of rectangular, bright shapes, which facilitate understanding and a greater degree of flexibility.
The facades are organized according to their orientation. Opaque facades stand at the entrances (south east facing), with small windows that express the will of the building to protect itself from the environment. In contrast, towards the seafront promenade (facing north east), the interiors are open with glazed fronts that not only allow contemplation of the garden, but also the entry of a generous amount of light.
