SUNFLOWER KINDERGARTEN

Currently, the land areas in the city core planned to build schools such as in Hanoi - the crowded capital city of Vietnam, have limited, high density and coefficient of land use and height. In many cases, the shape of the land is distorted and has many disadvantages. So, the synchronous organization, optimizing this space to ensure the functional areas of learning and physical activities for small age children is always a challenge of school design.

 In the case of The Sunflower Kindergarten in Cau Giay District (Hanoi, Vietnam), the land has been distorted – trapezoidal terrain, very narrow area with 3 sides being shielded by tall buildings. In order to have enough area for students' learning and physicals playing spaces, the design has arranged along central building block with classroom and administrative functions, facing to the south to ensure optimizing natural lighting, microclimate organization, as well as safety. All the main classroom is organized in a square space, helping to minimize the distance from the main classroom space to the auxiliary spaces such as toilets, storage for blankets, patios ... closed, and at the same time helping teachers - supporter can easily cover and better handle support when the trouble situations occur.

This solution also maximizes to easily change the interior, any times, depending on using different purpose,  especially the arrange the furniture flexible and suitable with different types of lessons and indoor activities. This solution also makes it easy to rearrange the furniture into four corners of the wall quickly and conveniently, saving the classroom center space for lunch breaks or social networking activities at different times of the day. Classroom space design also placed a 2 sides open space balcony between every 02 classrooms. The wide-glass windows facing the balcony support to receive the best natural light – ventilation (reduce the artificial energy) and ensure good eyesight for children. The open space balcony also supports coordinating and enhancing the children's communication ability between classes.

Faced with the requirement of increasing and synchronously organizing the space for playing - physical activities for children, the architectural concept has organized the structure of "Movement Tower" with a spiral circular structure, narrower at the top with the roof cover on the top and natural greenery in the core space. In terms of architectural aesthetics, the "Movement Tower" block helps the overall school architecture be dynamic and attractive. It is also connected fluently to the main classroom block by the long steel bridge structure.

The corridors have a total length of up to 50m with a suitable slope (satisfying the requirement of moving freely without focusing on observation & safety), with a safety handrail, With a variety of eye-catching colors identified following each floor as an exchange space support to cover all the children physical activities lively and attractive. The "Movement Tower" design solution also supports to increase of approximately 3 times the area physical space for the school, but also creates an attractive exchange space - physical interaction activities because of the continuity and spontaneous vertical transformations full of inspiration and fun.

Along with quality material finishing solutions (such as rubber carpet laying for ridges and floors to ensure children's safety,  bright colorful decorations, trees and lighting - ventilation equipment), "Movement Tower" is an effective design solution to respond the children’s explore, interaction and physicals learning requirement in the kindergarten building./.