The structure resembles 13 eggs arranged in a pattern. The facility also includes a shared space below the central glass canopy that can be used to collect solar energy.
The design of this child-care facility has been inspired by the need to embody and manifest in its form, construction and material, a sustainable and responsible approach to the use of resources and energy. The design also seeks to fulfill the goal of creating a childcare center seen as a creative and free space for unrestrained fantasy and a place to freely develop the individual and sensory perception.
These large egg-like structures have been placed in green spaces, integrating with the surrounding environment. The axis of the main building runs from southeast to northwest, with the natural daylight entering from the northeast and southwest areas. Two paths have been created leading to the childcare center – one from the avenue of birch trees with parking spaces on both sides – and the other from the northwest end of the property. About 50 parking spaces have been planned for employees and visitors with a swimming pool.
The individual child is a key focus of the design concept. The ‘egg’ is the main form used for the childcare center. The unusual tilting and turning of the forms reflects the playfulness inspiring this design. Spatial relationships and views within the building and to the exterior are created through freely positioning the ‘eggs’.
The facility features a ‘discovery zone’, which connects the ‘eggs’ to create a unified space. The discovery zone design stimulates the children and aids in the development of their sensory perception through hearing, seeing, feeling and smelling. It is a common area to be used multi-functionally for various group activities such as arts and crafts, exercise, and theater and stage productions. The room ‘Blind Man’s Bluff,’ located over the sanitary tract, can be fully darkened and used as an observatory or planetarium. The glass roof of the building will feature a graphic or floral pattern. The interplay of ‘open’ and ‘closed’ roof spaces creates sunlight patterns and illuminates mythical creatures on the walls and floor spaces.
Both the east and west entrances of the building are located on the north side. The central cloakroom and the parking area for buggies as well as the Director’s Office and the kitchen area complete with storage and waste disposal areas are located directly adjacent to the entry. The upper story of this form houses a conference and lounge area in addition to the sanitary tract and dressing rooms for personnel. The technical rooms and maintenance work areas are located on the basement level.
Individual rooms for the infant groups are located near the entry area. Attached to this tract are the sanitary and shower areas with the dark room ‘Blind Man’s Bluff’ located on the upper level. Across from these rooms is the multi-purpose room, followed by the six daycare group rooms and theme rooms. Each group room is equipped with one toilet and a sit and play raised platform, which simultaneously serves as storage space. On the exterior walls of the group rooms in the ‘discovery zone,’ molded seats have been placed. The play and ‘rolling hill’ outside the playground also serves as storage for outside toys.
GPAC has conceptualized the structure as a double-wall textile reinforced concrete (TRC) shell construction. TRC optimizes the construction by reducing mass and ultimately reducing the necessary raw materials for construction as compared to conventional structures. This design showcases the advantages and performance potential of double-curved construction, similar to an egg with its ratio of stability to material thickness. As the structures are derived from just one form, they are similar and allow for serial production making the realization of the building economically viable. All conventional roofing construction, wind and waterproofing and drainage have been omitted. Up to 90% of surface water can be collected in near-ground water gutters and biologically treated for secondary water use.
The ‘discovery zone’ located between the ‘eggs’ is designed as a solar collector. The roof will be constructed of frameless triple-glazed panels completely made of glass and supported by tension cables between the glass layers. The glass surface will be slightly tilted to help in drainage. State-of-the-art technology enables approximately 35% of the glass roofing to be coated with semi-transparent photovoltaic modules. The solid concrete slab, constructed of a lightweight concrete with clay aggregate has been embedded on lava gravel and serves as a heat store.
Based on the operational hours of the building, the energy concept chosen is a hot and cold air forced ventilation system with heat recovery. At four individual intersecting coordinates in the room, the air is distributed in the space between the textile reinforced concrete shells. Near the top of the room, the treated air flows into the room through the open pores of the surface plaster at designated openings in the wall. The air returns are located in the floor and are used for heat recovery. The porous plaster also aids in hygroscopic and acoustic functions.
The central air conditioning combines the return air from the heat recovery vents with filtered fresh air to meet the requirements set for each individual room’s climate and air quality. The conditioned air flows into the rooms through a ventilation system to be located approximately four meters underground. The system will be equipped as a flexible and efficient system with quick time response to adjust to fluctuating exterior weather and temperature parameters.
