LB 11 BRANDENBERGER KLOTER ARCHITECTS double kindergarten

BRANDENBERGER KLOTER ARCHITECTS

DOUBLE KINDERGARTEN RÜTI

BRANDENBERGER KLOTER ARCHITECTS LB 11 DOUBLE KINDERGARTEN RÜTI, is the thirdth title of a series of five LONG BOOKS by the architects Oliver Brandenberger and Adrian Kloter.

The two Basel-based architects, regard the needs of future users to be a key aspect of conceiving new buildings, forming the basis of their designs. The resulting spaces have a high quality, where people feel comfortable and can develop.

This volume begins with an interview conducted and written by Niki Zaugg, with the organization developer Petra Slembek, which is intended to inspire further discourse.

This LONG BOOKS series is aimed at inviting readers to engage with the relevance and function of public buildings. It questions existing structures and identifies requirements, in order to find answers for the contemporary design of public buildings.

Other titles this series: LB 09 COMMUNITY HALL LAUFENBURG Interview with the podcaster and editor Gülsha Adilji LB 10 SCHOOL PFEFFINGEN Interview with the documentary filmmaker Anna Thommen LB 12 SCHOOL AARWANGEN Interview with the urban psychologist Alice Hollenstein LB 13 SCHOOL BIRRWIL Interview with the author Zoë Jenny

AMAG LONG BOOKS COLLECTION brings together a unique selection of projects that establish new paradigms in architecture.

With a contemporary and timeless conceptual graphic language, the 1000 numbered copies of each LONG BOOK will document works with different scales and formal contexts that extend the boundaries of architectural expression.

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“SPATIAL BOUNDARIES CREATE IDENTITY.” AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ORGANISATION DEVELOPER PETRA SLEMBEK, WITH THOUGHTS FROM THE ARCHITECTS OLIVER BRANDENBERGER AND ADRIAN KLOTER.

The organisation developer Petra Slembek works for companies around the world and supports them in their development. She aims to help people use the time they have and also helps companies make significant contributions to society. Switching from profit-orientation to purpose-orientation is a special focus.

Why did you agree to take part in this interview?

Petra Slembek: Many tasks that we humans carry out take place in rooms. That enormously influences the encounters that are possible inside them. So I think it’s exciting to study buildings not just from the outside, but equally the rooms that influence people inside – as well as the forms of encounters, discussions and interaction they enable or prevent.

What memories do you have of your own kindergarten?

Petra Slembek: I went though my entire school career together with my twin sister. My parents are scientists and we always went to kindergarten where my parents worked at university.

That means my parents’ journey to work was the same as the way my sister and I went to kindergarten. That was extremely practical.

Our first kindergarten consisted of spacious rooms integrated into the university building. The spaces were expansive and voluminous. The basic tone was blue, as I well remember. Each room had one function. One for eating, one for sleeping. I can also remember the washrooms.

The toilets were not so high as at home, more on a child’s level. I thought that was great. I can also vividly remember that we got our lunch from the university canteen. The kindergarten supervisor would collect our meals on a silver trolley. Sometimes we were lucky and were allowed to accompany her.

You mentioned that the kindergarten rooms were very spacious. Did you find that unpleasant?

Petra Slembek: That’s a very important question that I asked myself when looking at the double kindergarten in Winkel. I believe I felt intimidated by the wide-open spaces. I can remember the entrance to the kindergarten. It was an enormous, hollow space. Two more very large rooms were adjoined to it. One was a group room where we spent most of our time. It had different zones, but no partitions. It wasn’t really possible to withdraw.

Did that spaciousness have a negative effect on your kindergarten memories?

Petra Slembek: No, not at all. I still have fond memories of that time.

Did you have a favourite place in the kindergarten?

Petra Slembek: Yes, to the rear on the right hand side in this enormous group room. There was a kind of cosy corner. I liked going there. Otherwise, we were often outside. In my generation, children still spent a lot of time outdoors.

Returning to the present day and the double kindergarten in Winkel. What interested you the most when engaging with the building?

Petra Slembek: What first struck me was the unusual roof of the double kindergarten. It made me curious. When I saw the images of the interior spaces, I initially thought, “hmm”. I felt it looked a little cold. It was bright and friendly, but also masculine. When I studied the interior

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in more detail, I suddenly understood why the roof is so unusual, namely to allow the light to enter into the different spaces. You don’t need artificial light all the time, which makes the spatial atmosphere more pleasant. I also liked the clinker brickwork, which has a natural and clear appearance. I can’t describe it other than saying “there is something atmospheric about them”. I also found the glass front interesting because it represents a clear boundary between the interior and exterior. That’s important for a child, because that kind of boundary creates potential. Oh, and the round mirror on the ceiling at the entrance was also fascinating. What’s it called again? Opi? Is it something Greek?

Architects: It’s an opaion, an aperture in a roof or dome in ancient architecture. Presumably the idea was to create a connection with god, heaven or the almighty. When we produced our opaion, we wanted to create an element that welcomes children as they enter the double kindergarten. Something that makes them stop and think. We focus on such details, because from an architectural perspective, they lead to interaction with the building.

We were speaking about what you find exciting in the double kindergarten. Also about what a space needs so that children feel comfortable in it. Could you sum up what you think an educational building must offer so that children can learn in it ideally?

Petra Slembek: I regard education as learning. For me, an educational building must be a place of encounters, in which various forms of encounters can take place. It should be a place where you can get dirty. A place where it’s alright to splash around with paint or whatever.

It is also important to have places to withdraw to. I thought the eagle’s nest in the double kindergarten was brilliant in that respect. I think an educational building must enable different forms of togetherness: in large groups, small groups, in pairs or alone. Educational buildings must also enable discoveries. Even tinkering about.

You’ve just described an interior space that is full of freedoms. But you also mentioned earlier that the building’s window frontage creates clear boundaries, which are important.

What do you think is the perfect formula between freedom and boundaries, to enable children to develop?

Petra Slembek: That’s a difficult, but a good question (considers). For me, the emphasis would lie on a child’s ability to discover, without offering boundlessness. If there are not enough boundaries, a child loses orientation. And I believe a child needs such support. That’s why I think boundaries must above all be one thing: clearly defined. However, children don’t need too many of them. Spatial boundaries also create identity. If I can delineate what belongs to me and what belongs to others, I can learn who I am. Naturally, the aim is not to constantly dwell upon oneself, but to discover who you are in order to interact with others. After all, identity is not an end in itself, but as an individual, I am indivisible, something that cannot be divided. I believe spaces can encourage that. And I believe that if they are too rigid, they are unable to do so. The theme of freedom is important in this context in the sense of being free from something, as well as being free to do something. Freedom has a direction. And that direction makes it limited.

With respect to freedom: how many children can the kindergarten accommodate?

Architects: 50 children, split into two classes. There are flexible rooms available to the children using the day-care structure, in other words those who come in the early morning and stay beyond lunchtime. These rooms are also used by the community when the kindergarten hours are over.

Thus, part of the double kindergarten can be used for various events and are available to members of the community.

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What do you think: how strongly do the surroundings and the spatial design influence a young person’s development? Do you know any studies on this aspect?

Petra Slembek: I can’t answer as a scientist, because I don’t have any scientific data on the subject. By experience, however, I can say that spatial design can have a very great influence on the development of a child. For instance my daughter behaved differently in her old primary school building – an old volume with tiny rooms and terrible furniture – compared to her current school. Rooms have an effect. One must consider that constricted rooms can have two consequences. Either their constricting size blocks children’s ability to think, or it inspires a desire for openness. Which effect they have depends on the child’s personality.

THIS INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED AND WRITTEN

BY NIKI ZAUGG

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And it’s always a personal experience. Everyone perceives things differently and that causes different needs. In that respect, it’s impossible to control everything.

Petra Slembek: That’s right. But what I can say is all dialogue is influenced by the rooms in which it takes place.

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DOUBLE KINDERGARTEN RÜTI

WINKEL, SWITZERLAND 2019 - 2020

In Winkel, we built a double kindergarten that develops out of the sloping terrain and therefore consists of two levels. This staggered form not only follows the topography of the location, but also allows the building to appear to consist of small-scale elements, thereby suiting the structural environment. Spatial organisation, light guidance and a strong reference to the exterior space are all aligned towards the requirements of the children.

Completed in late 2020, the double kindergarten with a day-care centre is situated between a special education school and a new residential development on a gently sloping western hillside. This sloping location was the starting point for the spatial organisation. By structuring the new building into two staggered mezzanine levels, only one floor is initially visible from the top of the hill, covered by a metal, staggered flat roof. In this way, the actual larger volume, accommodating around 60 children, is smoothly integrated into the small-scale surroundings. A simple crosswall structure consisting of solid brick walls allows the parallel rooms to be aligned towards the east and west. On the upper level, two kindergarten classes use their east-facing rooms, while the level below is occupied by the daycare centre with afternoon supervision and staffrooms towards the west. An access corridor both divides and connects the two volumes like an internal street – but this space feels much more like an open, spacious entrance hall.

The entrance is situated on the lower level and has barrier-free access from a path that runs almost parallel to the slope. The children access the entrance hall via a covered exterior space, its projections and recesses rhythmically creating deeper and narrower adjacent spaces, thereby conforming to the scale of children and appearing to be smaller than it actually is. Half way down, broad stairs lead up to the eastern section. The space is also more than simply an access area: since some of the stairs were built as seating steps with twice the normal height, the area invites children to linger, allowing them to sit, play, fool about or romp around. Once they have arrived at the top, a cloakroom area symmetrically divides the two kindergarten units, each of which consists of three rooms. The so-called “eagle’s nest” above the stairs sets itself apart. It consists of a raised platform and a cosy niche where children can hide or look down into the entrance hall through a peephole. Other rooms also encourage mobility and discovery, such as the material rooms, which resemble boltholes, or the lowlying windows in the south and north façades, which provide child-friendly seating niches.

Overall, the visual axes, apertures and light guidance in the double kindergarten are very well considered and adapted to suit each other. For instance the roof’s three staggered heights not only allow plenty of natural light to enter, but also create additional visual references. The spaces on both the upper and lower levels are all connected to each other to allow a circuit of the building. The doors along the two large window façades create an enfilade that adds brightness and openness to the depth of the rooms, while also establishing a relationship with the outdoor surroundings. This particularly applies to the lower level, where the staffroom, rooms for physical exercise, the kitchen, a dining area and an area for resting are arranged in a row. The strong relationship to the outside world always provides the children with a view of the garden.

The materials are all bright, friendly and visible. While the exterior light-coloured clinker brick and metal roof pick up on motifs from the surroundings, the loadbearing walls inside consist of whitewashed exposed brickwork that is compatible with the children’s haptic requirements. The window frames and flooring for the communal rooms are made of light-coloured oak wood.

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DOUBLE KINDERGARTEN RÜTI WINKEL, SWITZERLAND 2019-2020 Client School Municipality of Winkel Total built area 869 sqm.

Site area 5’124 sqm.

Architecture Brandenberger Kloter Architects Design Team Oliver Brandenberger / Head of Project Veronika Mutalova / Project Architect Alicia Buholzer Adrian Kloter Cédric Odermatt Vera Spuler Landscape Architect Hänggi Basler Landschaftsarchitektur GmbH Construction Management zfp architektur AG Structural Engineer Haller Ingenieure AG Electrical Engineer Wyder Elektroplanung GmbH Heating / Plumbing / Ventilation Engineer Frei + Partner Haustechnikplanung AG Acoustic / building physics Engineer Buri Bauphysik & Akustik AG Signage Designer MB Grafik, Michael Birchmeier Textile Designer Nitya Unju-Park Images © Basile Bornand / www.fotopraxis.click

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