Project Overview

This project is exclusively designed for preschool children to set up a picture book library. Its idea comes from children’s perception and interactive nature when they are in touch with the environment, using pure flowing lines and contrasting colors to design the space. The dynamic atmosphere of space triggers children's instincts of space exploration.

Project Commissioner

Chingshin Academy-Preschool

Project Creator

WWJ Architect

Project Brief

Before visualizing the whole space configuration, the designer makes the space well-planned and plans the most suitable activity field for preschool children. The designer realizes that children have innate cognition in space. A fluid and harmonious space tone is formed through three-dimensional geometric and curved surface cutting elements. Also, many circular arc surfaces are used such as ring lights in the three-dimensional wooden grid ceiling, the mustard green spiral reading room’s rounded ground, half-curved bookcases, opposite windows, curved ladder and streamlined stratum, allowing children to live without restriction. There is no need to over-define the scope of use in the field, and children can explore the space freely. The whole field has multiple functions so that children who enter the space can feel simple and comfortable feelings just like in the nature. Therefore, children can find their comfortable haven and belonging through the sophisticated elements in the space.

Project Innovation/Need

This space primarily faces the difficulties that how to let limited space have flexible use. Therefore, the designer was aiming at observing lots of children’s reading behaviors and having close communication with preschool teachers at the beginning of the planning. The space includes storytelling, performance, casual reading, or sit, lean, gather, disperse, be alone.
The concept of transparent space is used in this design and the space is not absolutely demarcated. It is laid out in bright and lively mustard green and turkey blue. Also, it adopts a three-dimensional shape to enclose the geometric soft decoration in multiple spatial configurations. With the flow curve of the layer plan, it cuts out an open free field. Hiding the function in the cabinet, it uses the arc and the rounded window view as the cutting. Therefore, children can feel the cognition of space in the purest mood and explore the cognition of shapes, colors, and scenery under the most suitable height configuration and circular structure. In the space, a sophisticated "snail shell" is used as an independent reading space in the field. The small pocket-like space enclosed children so that they can feel a sense of security in the space spontaneously.

Design Challenge

In this project, the primarily difficulties is to accommodate children’s diverse reading mode in a limited space. In addition, the designer needs to take the differences in the teaching needs of different teachers into consideration. Therefore, ideas to bring out the capacity in a pure form are a key factor.
In order to make the geometric shapes have distinct three-dimensional characteristics in the space, a corner of the ceiling is specially cut and customized with wooden fence-like pieces of wood. Also, the arrangement is arranged with smooth curve textures to match the overall spatial tone. The three-dimensional wooden grid ceiling presents a linear distribution, echoing the arc-cut bookcases, spiral ceiling of reading rooms, and cushion-backed chairs with arm-wrapped. It presents a unified and harmonious natural appearance.

Sustainability

The designer considers the users are mainly preschool children in the whole space. Therefore, the designer selects zero-formaldehyde panels and dye concrete as the main materials, and non-toxic film is used as the base of the panel. Thus, children can be safe and carefree when touching the materials within the scope of activities such as walls, cabinets or chairs. Not only does it reduce the possibility harm the building materials may lead to bodies, but also maintains the non-toxic optimization space. Thus, it achieves an environmentally friendly and sustainable development.