Kindergarten

A competition proposal for a kindergarten at Njálsgata in downtown Reykjavík.
It’s placed in a historical context on an old playground behind one of Reykjavík´s first cinemas, Austurbæjarbíó.

A strong feature of the existing playground is a concrete fence that surrounds the site. The existing fence is highlighted by having the exterior walls of the first floor blending into the fence. On top of the first floor sits a pitched roof house clad in red and ironoxided, corrugated, iron.
This kind of a volume i.e. a pitched roof house sitting on a concrete base resembles the traditional house typology in the oldest parts of Reykjavík where as the red color resembles the color of the surrounding roofs and the nearby “Rauðárlækur” ( Direct translation: Red - river - brook)

A big part of first floor roof is a continuation of the garden - an open playground area connected to the garden with slide, stairs and slopes. The simple volume of the pitched roof house does not only generate a certain flexibility and openness of the roof playground but it also minimizes the shadows on the roof and the site.

First floor: Kindergarten + playground
Second floor: Café for students and staff + playground
Third floor: Family center + balconies

Main materials:
CLT timber, corrucated iron and exposed concrete - rendered with timber planks.

Status: Competition
Collaboration: Decker Hjaltested Architects