In the Schwalm-Eder district of northern Hesse, Löser Lott Architekten have built two daycare centers based on the same design. The special feature: An integration with the landscape characterized by fields. Read more about the daycare centers in the Grifte and Besse districts here. […]
In the Schwalm-Eder district of northern Hesse, Löser Lott Architekten have built two daycare centers based on the same design. The special feature: An integration with the landscape characterized by fields. Read more about the daycare centers in the Grifte and Besse districts here.
Around 7,300 people live in the municipality of Edermünde in northern Hesse. In 2019, the municipality announced a competition for two daycare centers in the districts of Grifte and Besse. Löser Lott Architekten won first prize and were awarded the contract for the construction. Lukas Droste Architekten carried out work phases 6 to 9. Studio polymorph was responsible for the landscape architecture.
The result is twin designs, each with a striking and complex concept for the interior spaces. They are closely interlinked with the surrounding landscape in order to create exciting places for the children, but also for the parents and educational staff. The jury was impressed by the compact, two-storey design for the daycare centers in Grifte and Besse. As the two sites and the landscape atmosphere of the daycare centers are similar, it was possible to think of the designs in the same way: the structure is somewhat reminiscent of the agricultural buildings in the surrounding area.
The daycare buildings by Löser Lott Architekten create generous, high-quality open spaces that see themselves as part of the surrounding field landscape and continue to knit it both inside and out. At the same time, they feature façade recesses and a slight shift within the three pitched roofs in order to adapt to the scale of the surroundings. Forecourts with seating elements facing the adjacent streets create identity and the covered entrance area is inviting for those approaching.
The motif of interweaving fields and surfaces is continued in the floor plan of the buildings: a complex fabric of closed, secluded spaces and flowing, open areas is created across both levels. The color concept reinforces this idea. In the spacious foyer there is a marketplace and meeting point for parents, followed by a large multi-purpose room. The kitchen with delivery and other functional areas is also located here. At the rear of the first floor, there are three group rooms for crèche children with rest and sanitary areas. All rooms have direct access to the outside.
The two daycare centers are almost identical, but one is in red and the other in green. The surrounding landscape architecture provides the complementary color in reverse. According to Studio polymorph, the two sister buildings show particularly well how architecture and landscape architecture can complement each other.
The second floor of the daycare centers in Besse and Grifte can be reached via the foyer stairs or the elevator. Large skylights and alternating open and closed areas create a sequence of rooms designed as an access and play zone. There are four interconnecting group rooms on one side. Opposite are checkrooms and sanitary areas as well as special rooms.
At the front of the upper floor, there is space for the administration and a children’s café including a children’s kitchen with a view of the forecourt. An external arcade connects all the group rooms. Instead, the access zone has a meandering shape, with daylight coming in from the west and east. And the stairs provide direct access to the daycare center’s large garden. The architects have avoided long corridors.
There is space for up to 120 children per daycare center. Both buildings offer a public playground with a soccer pitch and spacious outdoor areas. They also serve as a noise barrier between the free play areas and the adjacent residential buildings. The architects chose trapezoidal sheet metal cladding for the daycare centers, which covers the roof and façade. Perforations in the sheet metal create a semi-transparent, airy building envelope that almost resembles a curtain. It provides shade in summer and serves as thermal insulation. The south-facing roofs will feature photovoltaics.
Read more: You can see a design for another kindergarten, this time made of wood, here.
