In the restricted architectural competition with 15 participating offices, a building and the necessary outdoor facilities for a daycare center with 9 groups were to be designed.
On the 4,000 m2 site, a daycare center with a usable area of approx. 1,100 m2 was planned, which would provide long-term care for 130 children between the ages of 1 and 6 (school entry) in nine inclusive, mixed-age groups.
The aim of the competition was to develop a high-quality urban and architectural design for the KITA and to design sufficient multifunctional open spaces in line with requirements.
The space required for the daycare center with nine groups threatens to break the urban structure, regardless of whether it is a one- or two-storey building. Rather, it is important to design a structure in which small units are visible to children in accordance with their limited field of vision, enabling orientation and occupation. The comb structure was therefore chosen as a building form that allows for differentiated access on the inside and also makes intimate and open areas possible on the outside.
Details such as the sundial behind the porch are playful elements that arouse interest and naturally teach children to tell the time.
The structure of the house makes it possible to separate the age groups and also to mix some groups as desired. The primary aim of the design is to take the child’s scale into account.
Sustainability through the use of materials made from renewable raw materials with reusability before recycling, downcycling or disposal will be at the forefront of the choice of building materials.
The wide-span roof construction is made with double-hinged glulam trusses and purlins suspended between them as well as an extensively greened warm roof, insulated with lignin-bound soft wood fiber boards.
The floor slab is insulated on the underside with expanded glass granulate. The floor slab, the clay building boards and the storage-capable insulation boards in the roof in conjunction with the green roof provide sufficient storage mass. At the same time, the use of sorption-capable materials has a positive effect on the moisture balance in the building.
The static heating should be designed as underfloor heating or in combination with wall heating. Heat should be generated by means of a heat pump; in this case, cooling could be used in the summer months. In principle, however, the option of pre-cooling at night in summer should be used. For this purpose, opening flaps on the south and north façades are automatically opened at night depending on the temperature difference.
The use of daylight is maximized by the building’s position and orientation towards the light. The use of LED lights is a technical standard.