Architektura’s Větrník Kindergarten takes visual prompts from children’s literature

Among the few fond memories that I have from my kindergarten in a small Northeastern city in India, are the early morning visits to an animal shelter, to feed the jumping rabbits—an activity which attracted all early comers. The scant crowd at this early hour ensured that I could get involved in the activity without having to wiggle my way through a packed gathering of tiny tots. No fights to stand near the rabbits, no one pushing or urging me to shift or move away from my place—these seemingly inconsequential factors would ensure that I enjoy my time without any unwanted worry. Children, perhaps, require only that—easy accessibility to simple desires, of getting on a swing, choosing a seat in class next to their best friend, and enjoying a meal in peace without the futile calculation of saving up enough time for a game of hide-and-seek with their friends afterwards or peeping outside the windows of their classrooms for periodic bouts of distraction and daydreaming.

Most schools, however, are writ with regimental rules and a general lack of infrastructural facilities to accommodate the needs of each child within the premises. Strict timelines dictate the day. An abysmal share of the school grounds is set aside for play and recreation, such that children are often strained for play space. Preschoolers, at the most curious stage of their lives, are contained within boxes, typically configured rectilinearly in educational architecture, shut away from any chance interaction with serendipitous occurring, and are expected to behave.

While an exhaustive list of changes required in typical educational institutes would include the substitution of teaching and instructing methods and curriculum regulations with better alternatives, thoughtful ideation at the inceptive phase of school design can help improve the environment of educational buildings. An example of school architecture done well is the Větrník Kindergarten, by Prague-based architecture practice Architektura, founded by David Kraus in 2002. In their work, Architektura combines the benefits of modern technology with simple construction techniques. Their designs are inspired by entities and phenomena found outside architecture—from music, martial arts, visual arts, drumming, and writing, to emotions experienced at sea, near forests, or along a street, as well as the visualisation of immaterial worlds. For Větrník Kindergarten, located in Říčany, near Prague, Czech Republic, the architectural practice drew out the plan after an assessment of the needs and desire of children.

Architektura was given the task of spearheading the kindergarten design for the city, with a focus on sports facilities and the availability of a gymnasium. The kindergarten school is built as part of a new development plan for the Říčany-Větrník area.

“First we thought about the child as a phenomenon–what constitutes childhood? Not only the family, the experiences on the playground, it is also the objects they visit, the institutions that fit them into the System. And what physical abilities does the child have?” the studio questioned, in an official press release. Various aspects of human behaviour are either lost or fade with age. Among them is the general curiosity for everything. Schools and systems need to cater to this persistent inquisitiveness that is fleeting. Addressing them not only serves to improve the learnings of children but also helps create a safe space for them, where their feelings and questions are validated, hence leading them to grow into secure individuals.

It is for the same reason that education across the globe is slowly but surely witnessing the addition of non-traditional aspects that were previously deemed unreasonable. Special attention is now levied towards mental health; tests and exams are often given lesser attention, as opposed to learning, and practical applications that are encouraged. “The child is in the System and the purpose is to become a proper and non-problematic part. That is why we see such a development of alternative education. The topic of education as a state discipline is an important phenomenon for us personally. In our civilized world, we talk about economic growth, but not enough about all details of education, about the mystery of childhood,” Architektura shared.

In an attempt to take into consideration the aforementioned factors, several meetings were held with teachers, representatives of sports clubs, and the management of the Town of Říčany before the proposal for Větrník Kindergarten was finalised. Children are spontaneous, disorganised, unpredictable, pure, curious, optimistic, and unburdened. Their games, their movements and vision, the scale of objects suitable for them—all these factors and more were studied and assessed to draw the final plan for the school.

The architecture studio split the mass of the structure into different parts. While the overall plan comprises three areas, namely the kindergarten, the gymnasium, and the garden, the massing of the structure is far more fractioned. The main entrance—resembling a portal that leads up to a mysterious temple or spaceship—from the street leads up to a central atrium, on the opposite side of which lies a cuboid room housing offices and other administrative facilities, as well as a secondary entrance. The individual classrooms lie around the central atrium, with spanning outward views to the playground-cum-garden. A spider web net hanging—with the help of four tree trunks acting as columns—on the first floor in the atrium space, connected to all the classrooms in the building, beckoning children to jump, roll, lie down or pretend to fly, while on it. The atrium space is also alternatively meant to function as a community space, where children gather to sing, act, exhibit their creations, perform a song or dance or indulge in theatrics. While the playground and garden space lies behind the building, the gymnasium lies adjacent to it.

The large classrooms—three in number—dotted sparsely with furniture, leave ample space for children to move around, play and learn. While two classrooms lie on the ground floor, a third one is positioned on the first floor. The geometric extensions on the facade of the structure, coloured vibrantly, and bearing semblance to pyramids and pagodas, serve as hiding spaces on the inside. They are extensions to the classrooms within the building, and hence, serve as another cavity, another void to explore within the premises. While they appear like life-size construction blocks affixed to the school structure, from the outside, the triangular windows on its surface allow the influx of light within the structure, in a patterned marking. The facade facing the street is designed as a vertical green wall. “We hope that it will sweep and thicken to one day absorb the entire facade,” the designers share. The playground for Větrník Kindergarten is also meant to resemble a verdant fantasy land, much like the green street facade.

The services in the building are tended through translucent pipes that attempt to reveal the flow of water, electricity and airflow within the building, serving, hence, as an example of divulging important information in a fun way. Although richly decorated, the designers could not realise all their ideas due to strained finances. “We wanted cast coloured floors (there is vinyl), more colourful bathrooms with some art and pictures (presently they are quite simple, cheap), more greenery on the street facade (there is only partial greenery), and a more diverse playground,” they explained.

In picking up physical references for the school from fantastical stories and fairy tales, Architektura manages to design a home for children that, with its doors open to sunlight, nature, and everything under the sun, tends to the imagination of children, encouraging them to indulge in storytelling, narrations, and daydreaming, to ideate and create imaginary and physical worlds that can perhaps become a reality someday.

Project Details

Name of the project: Větrník Kindergarten
Location: Říčany, near Prague, Czech Republic
Plot area: 3,009 sqm
Built-up area: 716 sqm
Year of completion: 2021
Architect: David Kraus from Architektura
Design team: Marek Trebuľa, Alina Fornaleva, Šárka Andrlová, Michaela Kubinová
Construction: Projecticon (Pavel Ježek, Tomáš Kalous)
Main contractor: Zlínstav
Technical supervision: Vejvoda
Greenery: Flora Urbanica
Furniture: Kanona
Playground: S.O.S. – DEKORACE
Product brands, if applicable (to include furniture, furnishing, hardware, suppliers, collaborators etc.