Image Credit : LAVA
Project Overview
LAVA collaborated with Module K on their first kindergarten project in Vinh, south of Hanoi, for the next generation of Vietnamese children.
A 6,300 sqm series of buildings creates indoor and outdoor spaces that are playful and safe while making an architectural statement.
Project Commissioner
Hoo Goong Education Development & Investment
Project Creator
Laboratory for Visionary Architecture
Team
LAVA: Chris Bosse, Tobias Wallisser, Alexander Rieck
Partners: Module K, Viet Decor
Project Brief
The idea of an education project for the future generation always questions the ways we teach and learn. Rather than a sterile box with a teacher in front and kids in rows listening, we created a learning environment where discovery, curiosity and conversations are encouraged.
World-class interiors educate, challenge and entertain with a series of other kindergartens across Vietnam to follow.
Project Innovation/Need
Three interconnected semi circular buildings three stories high are contextualised with the scale of the surrounding landscape.
They feature circular cut out windows framed in bold primary colours with organic shaped windows on the ground floor.
The ‘portholes’ give glimpses of the adjacent Goong Lake and city in the distance and provide cross ventilation. Y-shaped footbridges connect the three buildings giving safe and pedestrian friendly access.
The configuration forms three courtyard/playgrounds with a forest in between, with breezes from the lake adding to the natural experience.
Ceilings feature fun flowing shapes and dinosaur-like ribbed surfaces.
Classrooms, admin, kitchen canteen, swimming pool and playgrounds cater for 750 children.
Design Challenge
The kindergarten unfolds over multiple levels and multiple buildings, connected by stairs and bridges and connecting the inside with the outside.
The architectural concept for the five outdoor spaces are the five elements – earth [sandpits and earth mounds], water [water elements], fire,metal [playground equipment]and wood [plants and trees, mini golf].
A masterchef kitchen, multiple leaning and play grounds, a sports centre and a swimming pool create endless opportunities for playful exploration of the world.
Sustainability
The organic shapes, gardens on every level, connect the space to nature at every point.
Cross ventilation, solar maximisation, the flow of indoor and outdoor spaces and a safe and fun environment for young children to learn and explore.
Architecture - Public and Institutional
This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow.
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