Inside Kindergartens: Safe and Happy Spaces for Kids!

Ar. Milind Pai and Associates were commissioned to design the interiors of this ground floor kindergarten section of Lakshyadham School at Goregaon, Mumbai, which features on the TFOD galleries. Given a brief to elucidate the inherent effervescence of children in their design, the designers obviously rolled out a colourful palette with playful forms. But, the aspect to be noted is the manner in which safety, ease of maintenance and cleaning have been factored into every little detail. To be noted are the well-rounded  corners of the little steel gates that lead to various activities as well as those of the furniture in classrooms like shelves and cabinets. While the lights shining from the hues of pastels that cover the ceiling of the play zone lend it an aura of a fairyland, the artificial turf flooring takes care of the outdoor look and also safeguards kids against falls. The amount of variety in terms of shapes, colours and functions that line the long otherwise boring corridor, transform it into an interactive wonderland. Most walls are clad with washable tiles up to  a certain height, but some have a full blown work of art rendered in china mosaic.

The interior of this 2400 sq. m. kindergarten in Israel’s Kfar Shemaryahu district designed by Sarit Shani Hay is heart-warming by the exhaustive variety and detailing packed into every corner of it without causing any clutter or crowding of elements. The agricultural scenes replete with toy tractor, village silhouette and trees of stacked birch-wood panels that kids can actually climb and play on, point to the agricultural heritage of Kfar Shemaryahu. The dolls-house rooms of wooden slats that line one side of the common play zone are perfectly appointed with every household fixture for the children to simulate. The cheer and detail packed into every corner of this pleasing play centre is sure to invite even adults to indulge the child in themselves!

This day care and pre-school centre which has interiors designed by Gopal Zaveri packs a world of activities and respective facilities into 800 sq. ft. of space without appearing the least bit cramped. A classroom wall adorned with a collage of neatly laid out pictures and fully mirrored full-wall storage shutters which help to create an illusion of unlimited space in the dance room are some highlights of this interior. The tree form has been used in interesting paraphrases in different areas, like the corner of the activity area where a backlighted tree of wooden panels spreads its branches even across the roof and is coupled with a make believe Machan. Another interpretation can be seen in the outdoor play area where columns of clustered steel bars rise up as the trunk and branch out at the top to support the little panels that form the ceiling.

The L-shaped ground floor of an apartment block in Stockholm has been ingeniously designed as a kindergarten by Rotstein Arkitekter. Three classrooms are accommodated which have their own theme colours, which get expressed in the little painted alcoves among the storage or the steps leading to a window ledge, as well as other tiny playful details. A rich and engaging landscape of widening steps, alcoves and cubby holes, and a little house with glazing that looks down on the rest, has been worked out in fun shapes and vibrant colours

The interior of this 7000 sq ft playschool and activity centre housed in a Thane building is designed by TFOD members Istudio Architecture. Making judicious use of the available space, they have put in special efforts to create a bright, cheerful and well lighted ambience. The rainbow ceiling in the reception is a great tool to make the place cheerful and inviting without much fuss. The large terrace has been well utilised as an outdoor play and parents’ waiting area by covering it completely with translucent acrylic sheets mounted over a vaulted steel frame. The vertically pivoted folding screen doors that allow adjacent classrooms to be separated or merged as per requirement take the prize for the best idea in this setup.

This kindergarten designed by TFODian Ashfaque Aboojiwala uses different colour and graphic themes to identify the classrooms. Each classroom has a thematic floor colour and matching graphic panels on the walls that each tells a different story. Patterned graphic panels line the corridors and common spaces as well, while the classroom furniture is of the modular variety that enables different arrangements according to the prevailing activities.