Cool Spaces: Kindergarten by PORT

WORDS Cheri Morris IMAGES Stan Zajączkowski via designboom.com

Architecture firm PORT transforms an old workshop into a contemporary kindergarten that at once honours the building’s original design and affords new functionality to foster play, growth and an improved connection to nature.

Located in Opole, Malina, the PORT‘s aim was to maintain the existing 1980s structure whilst extending its layout to include an additional volume. The result is a contemporary common room punctuated by odes to eras passed: exposed brick face and tie beams, concrete bearing formwork imprints and the enduring smell of wood and stone.

The new volume is a modern box that juts into the garden and affords various classroom spaces with seamless access to the outdoors. The glass facade serves not only as a connector to the elements but also as a window into the pre-existing volume’s textures – the ideal vantage point from which to digest the harmony of old and new. Inside, secluded hiding spots for one are contrasted by extroverted spaces for many.

Child-height square windows with wooden frames function as both entrances to the hidden world and places for little bodies to rest. A host of rectangular holes puncture walls to connect rooms and encourage exploration. The sloping roof’s glazing floods the space with natural light, brushing the walls with gentle strokes of shadow and creating a homely ambience.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Check out Black Barn by Rigby & Rigby, an agricultural grain store turned residence in the Cotswolds, here.

h/t: designboom.com