Cared by the Sea
For its September issue, "Back to School", several places of study - a girls' school in the Indian desert, a photography school in Arles, an arts centre in New Orleans, among others. Nurseries and day-care centres were not included in our corpus of studies: yet, as the first places of learning, they also have something to tell us about the ways in which the youngest are educated in the world. For example, a Finnish day care centre, within a building by Anttinen Oiva Architects and designed by Fyra,"co-imagined" with the children.
Text by Fyra
“In a Helsinki daycare, located in the headquarters of the mobile game developer Supercell (Anttinen Oiva Architects), well-being is enhanced through interior design.
The needs of the user group – kindergarteners – were mapped in workshops run by the children’s architecture school Arkki. The point of the design process was to create a functional space that would support children’s development and inspire creativity, security, and joy. To create a homey atmosphere, a large open serving kitchen was built in the shared area. The rest area is designed to be calm and relaxing for nap time, both acoustically and in terms of the feel of the space. The interiors use natural, non-allergenic, and genuine hard-wearing materials, chosen with kids in mind.
The kindergarten is located just off of the Baltic Sea, which is why the sea and nature are strong themes that run through the interior design. The organic design language and the abundant use of wood speak both to the building and its surroundings. Wavy and round fish-like shapes soften the space and add to its playfulness. The animation and illustration studio, Piñata, created a whole cast of animal characters who venture around the kindergarten, adding fun little surprises to the space. The wave paintings in the large street-level windows provide protection and privacy from the streets outside.”
New Nordic School by the Sea
Architecture: Anttinen Oiva Architects
Design: Fyra
Client: Supercell / New Nordic School
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Area: 3,000 sq. ft.
Completion: 2021
Photographer: Riikka Kantinkoski