• • 27 June 2016
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  •  Kubai Koigi
• Sustainability , Education Centres , Editor's Choice , Selected Works ,

The idea of a school has in the past been reduced to a dumping ground for children where in this bleak, uninspiring places, violence and abuse becomes common place. A different paradigm on how children can engage in their education through a jungle gym like construction. By associating learning with fun, this creates a dramatic break from the typical design of schools constructed under South Africa’s Apartheid era. The preschool was designed and built by architecture students from the institute of experimental architecture/ studio 3.

The site of the school is located approximately 20km from Johannesburg. The first phase of the project begun in October 2005 with researching, analysing and first drafts of ideas. The architecture students did this in collaboration with the pre-school teachers. The pre-school teacher’s request to the design team was the make use of this project to realize new concepts of education, away from the present hierarchical education system, which offers little space for exercise and development. They didn’t want to be in front of the students teaching but with the students learning together.

The facility consists of 2 classrooms, an office, an outdoor play area, a kitchen and a restroom. The concrete floor section is raised off the site thereby defining the mounted area around the classrooms. The roof of the structure unifies the school and shades the area between the two classrooms, tapering off into shading elements.

This area acts as a third outdoor classroom. The roof is designed with striking angles that make the school standout against the backdrop of the city. Students can climb up the pitch to play.

Adventure and curiosity are encouraged and serve as an experimental play-room for children to discover and conquer. The body of the school is made of exposed steel frame and plywood. The wall design allows for niches and retreats, as well as elevated landings inside and out. These platforms are suitable for children only due to their anthropometric dimensions. Tapered walls provide seating and hiding-niches as well as storage space and shelves.

The vivid green, yellow, cyan and hot pink wooden trapezoids inserted on the tin slope, allow for well-directed lighting, thus creating different atmospheres and moods. The students can also scale up the roof and play on these roof structures.

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    © Olifantsvlei Preschool_Studio 3 with institute ...

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    © Olifantsvlei Preschool_Studio 3 with institute ...

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    © Olifantsvlei Preschool_Studio 3 with institute ...

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    © Olifantsvlei Preschool_Studio 3 with institute ...

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    © Olifantsvlei Preschool_Studio 3 with institute ...

  • • 

    © Olifantsvlei Preschool_Studio 3 with institute ...