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Folded Mat njiric+ An indigo kindergarten for Zagreb
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arhitekti
How to design a kindergarten on a too small plot ? What if the plot is overshadowed by a massive nine-story block on it's south side ? What if the plot is surrounded by the heavy traffic ? The kindergarten is initially conceived as a single-story mat building – compact, introverted, autocatalytic, with clearly defined borders. Due to the context, the mat is pushed away from the shadow and folded up towards the sun.
Local suburban matrix is echoed in the repetitive small-scale structure of units and patios. This chequered board of solids and voids is bent into vertical plane –gardens become terraces, corridor transforms into staircase. Such a layout offers a variety of open-air spaces. There is a big playground in the non-buildable area on the back side of the house.
The children and staff premises are completely intertwined. A child can see women typing on a computer, the other ones counting money, sewing linen or cooking their meal. There is a man who receives the new goods, the other one controls the heating or repair the furniture. It is the major contribution of the project - the whole spatial setup is to be understood as a specific educational device. An introduction to the real life.