K i n d e r g a r d e n   S e m i l y

In collaboration with Alžbeta Križánková, Björn Lundell and Anna Sundman

The site lies in between two rivers which meet up couple of hundred meters downstream from there. On its south side a hill covered by the garden lots gently rises up. On a sunny day the Sun traces the hill's silhouette. We consider the proximity of sunlight on the site so important that all the playrooms face this direction. The building angles away from the road what creates an effect of the fast disapearing perspective. The house shows a bystander almost always only one of the facades and therefore it is perceived as quite delicate in its surroundings.
In front of the building there is a little piazza. A tree with benches and shelter for bicycles and prams are located here. This is a place where parents can meet and exchange few words. From here the people are gently led to a yard from where they enter the building. Early in the morning and later in the evening soft yellow light shines out through the timbre glass partitions underlining the atmosphere of greeting and saying good byes.
Broken walls of playrooms improve the inner room's acoustics and create an interesting interplay of light and shadow on the facade. The ceiling is shaped in the same way. There is direct access from the playrooms on the gardens. Children can play here on the sun or in the shadows of the trees. A road bypass is planned in future outside of the site's southern border so we create an artificial hill here. The hill enriches garden's topography, serves in winter for sledging and later it will shade away the noise of the traffic.

Place: Semily, Czech Republic
Form: competition entry
Year: 2015