Kindergarten in Jerusalem (Vilnius)

Location: Vilnius, Lietuva

Year: 2024

Area: 3000m²

Status: Architectural competition proposal   

Co-authors: Radvilė Samackaitė

 

The idea of the kindergarten project is to surround the existing groups of trees with architecture, thus creating an inseparable link between the building and the natural environment. This link is expressed by using the existing slope and vegetation to create a natural field of play and experience for the future users of the building. The aim is to raise awareness from an early age of the importance of nature in the city and its impact on children's development. The kindergarten is being built on a site that has been unused for a long time. Only part of the site has a clear use as a playground. The paths across the site indicate that people choose to cross the site for their own purposes. The project aims to make the kindergarten a centre of attraction for the local population by providing a venue for a range of community activities. It will also make the nursery area itself suitable for children from the surrounding neighbourhood to play. The architecture of the kindergarten is designed to take into account the architectural development of the surrounding area. The red colour, borrowed from the neighbouring tower blocks, allows the building to blend into the area without becoming a stranger. And the natural finishes bring the building closer to the sensitive natural environment. The volumes of the building create indoor and outdoor spaces that encourage collaboration, knowledge of nature and echo the characteristics of the prevailing architectural situation. The aim is to show the kindergarten children that architecture is a link between the past - Jerusalem - and the future - the kindergarten children