Inviting, colorful, and child-friendly: The new children’s daycare center in Göggingen, a district in the south of Augsburg, was designed by Hiendl Schineis Architekten from Passau in close consultation with the teachers and in line with an educational design concept. With a timeless shape and at the same time brightly colored, the delicate fittings by Vola blend into the overall design concept for the center and add a touch of fun to visiting the bathroom.
The building housing the daycare center was to be extended to provide room for two additional kindergarten groups and a crèche. Stefan Hiendl and Regina Schineis realized a new cube-shaped section which is linked to the existing building by a wide corridor. The new 600-square-meter area contains communal and staff rooms, a workshop, a kitchen and a washroom. The designers paid particular attention to helping the children feel safe and comfortable in all areas. Thus even from the outside the new building looks very inviting thanks to a completely wooden-clad façade. Biomorphically-shaped windows allow plenty of daylight inside, where the floors and ceilings are entirely clad in untreated spruce wood and make for an especially cozy atmosphere. Soft outlines convey a sense of security, whether with curved walls lined with spruce-wood clapboards, with conical copper lampshades or with groups of upholstered furniture designed by the architects. Niches, caves, bridges, benches and small passageways moreover turn the rooms into a real adventure trail for the little ones.
Even compulsory exercises like brushing teeth and washing hands have a fun factor: The spacious wash area with baby-changing facilities, showers and toilets is dominated by a strong red – from the tiled walls and floors to the lavatory doors and shelves to the fittings by Vola, which form a stark contrast to the undulating white sinks. The single mixer from the line “HV1” is not only a real eye-catcher, but thanks to its slender, central lever above the fixed outlet is playful and easy to use, meaning that users can also operate it using their elbow, avoiding direct contact with the hands – an advantage that is particularly valued in public facilities. The children are unlikely to notice that the purist design of the single mixer bears the signature of Danish designer Arne Jacobsen, who developed the first “Tab Mixer” for the long-established firm back in 1968, but it no doubt makes an unconscious contribution to early-childhood design education. (sb)
An ample outdoor area as playground, large windows and a façade with cladding, made of larch tiles: The kindergarten in Augsburg is inviting and pleasant. Photo © www.em-foto.de
Snuggle me! Inside, much wood, warm lighting and niches to hide are creating a friendly atmosphere. Photo © www.em-foto.de
Wether walls, shelves, toilet doors or Vola’s single tab mixers “HV1”: With bright red dominating the washroom, kids can even enjoy washing hands. Photo © www.em-foto.de
The wavelike washbasins were designed with two different heights – so that both – children chi educators can easily wash hands. Photo © www.em-foto.de
Fresh colors combined with timeless silhouettes: The single tab mixers were designed by Arne Jacobsen, who developed the first Vola tab mixer with company founder Verner Overgaard already in 1968. Photo © www.em-foto.de
Simple to handle even for children: The central lever can be used easily. You can enjoy them with surfaces in bright red, yellow and orange. Photo © www.em-foto.de
