Exploring curiosity; A preschool for small humans to grow

Abstract

Preschools in Sweden are expected to provide high quality educational environments, yet reports show that many fail to meet required standards due to insufficient support in areas such as staff development and pedagogical practices. With approximately half a million children between ages 1 and 5 years enrolled in the school sector, preschools play a central role in children’s daily lives, as many spend several hours there each day. The project examines how a preschool can be designed with children at its centre where architecture actively supports play, development and social interaction. The theoretical framework has guided the design choices with measures such as careful zoning to establish a clear and spatial structure that balances active as well as quieter environments. The spatial experience has been central to enhance the child’s scale and perspective, with the intention of creating a coherent and inspiring environment. The design proposal consists of a preschool of one storey with four departments and a central common space, located in the northern part of Mosås, in southern Örebro. The site is currently reserved by the municipality for a new preschool, while the area is under development with new housing planned around the site. This has also been the main challenge of the thesis as the lack of an established context made it difficult to relate the preschool to its surroundings. The proposal has therefore been illustrated with an example of what future neighborhoods in the area could look like. The design draws inspiration from both pedagogical approaches and built examples, including Reggio Emilia and Montessori pedagogy, as well as preschools such as Råå förskola and Kindergarten Elsa Triolet. The chosen methods were applied across different stages of the process, where case studies and an extensive sketch phase formed the core of the work, while study visits provided first-hand spatial understanding and theoretical research deepened the knowledge of child-centred environments