DESKTOP STUDY

SUBEJECT
ARCHITECTURAL design
TOPIC KINDERGARTEN

ARCHITECTS & HIS ANALYSIS

Architects COLBOC FRAZEN & ASSOCIES

Location Sevres,France
Associates Benjamin Colbos , Manuela Frazen, Arnaud sachet.
Project year 2009
Project area 2100m2

ACCORDING TO THE ARCHITECTS, THEY DESCRIBE MAISON DE LA AS :

The major theme is the question of scale: the house must be on the scale of the child but
also the accompanying adult and must correspond to the individual but also to the group
as an major equipment, it must be across the district. Early childhood home is a place
dedicated to the awakening of all children. The proposed project seeks to really play a role
in this context: its materials, its colors, the various spaces and moods he moved, it can
itself be a tool for awakening children. The childhood home in Lomme presented himself
as a miracle box. This is also valid in terms of its appearance that its interior spaces.
While inside the premises punctuate the rhythm of the lobby and common areas areas
of arousal open and glazed, quiet space and contraction (rest) more intimate, from outside
the building is wrapped in a skin that changes the functions it houses. The differentiation
of interior spaces to read outside on the skin of the building. This effect results in a formal
relationship between interior and exterior.
WHY IS TIMBER USED AS THE MAJOR COMPONENT :
Narrow strips of Douglas fir provide a uniform cladding across the outer walls and roof of the
structure, and were also used for the perimeter fences. "The use of a wood facade gives a
unity and a natural tone to the whole building," said the architects

CONCEPT AND
Named Maison de la Petite Enfance, which
translates
as House of the Early Childhood,
CONSTRUCTION.
the single-storey complex provides preschool
education facilities for 100 children up to the
age of five
The House of the Early Childhood, located in
Mayenne, between the city Centre and the
new railway station district, is an urban
building of a single level.
Named Maison de la Petite Enfance, which
translates as House of the Early Childhood,
the single-storey complex provides preschool
education facilities for 100 children up to the
age of five
Topos Architecture, whose previous projects
include a larch-clad nursery in Nantes,
planned the building as three zones.
Classrooms and activity spaces are positioned
at the rear, while staff rooms and storage
facilities run along the front, and a sequence
of patios and gardens are sandwiched in
between. French office Topos Architecture
used timber cladding and a pitched roof to
give this kindergarten in Mayenne, France, a
domestic appearance that the architects
thought would be more welcoming to children
Overlooking the entrance of the building, the
roof has a double slope that gives it the
silhouette of a house - an architectural line

QUANTITATIVE
ANALYSIS

environmental
plan. It has
received
fromLOCATION
PLAN
AND
Certivea, the
certificate of
conformity to
the label for
High Energy
Performance.
Certivea certifies
that it's in
accordance with
the British
BroadCasting
level and with

-Plan and location-sheet no. 1

SITE PLAN
This centre welcomes from now on 90 children in 1300 m2.
The garden (800 m2) is an outside room really private and there are
four patios that give rhythm to the common spaces.

CIRCULATION
Building as a house, designed for the well-being of its occupants
In a building designed to accommodate a hundred children, architects Topos have sought to
obscure the functional requirements of local, bringing the quality of domestic spaces: a family
atmosphere, relaxed and harmonious:
- The use of wood in the house has a unity and a natural tone to the whole building.
- Inside the door frames, windows and vents patios are made of mixed wood and aluminum.
- Natural light is present everywhere. She is captured by the southwest faade mainly glazed and
central part, by patios. The rooms are equipped with roof windows. Particular care has been taken
in natural lighting of traffic, real guarantee of comfort and quality of these spaces which are
transitions for children, real living.
- Overlooking the entrance to the building, the double-slope roof gives this piece of equipment the
silhouette of a house. Welcoming for families, this architectural design is also in the typology of the
surrounding urban fabric. Moreover, the double-slope south side offers a well oriented for solar
panels and can house attic ventilation techniques for the treatment of ai
The compact building, on one level, reduces energy losses. The exterior insulation, complete with
turf roof terrace offers excellent thermal protection. The cast in place for the upper and lower
concrete slabs, provides the inertia necessary for thermal comfort. It also has the advantage of
structurally very good air permeability.
Summer comfort is guaranteed by natural ventilation, solar shading on windows and green roofs.
Heating systems, lighting, efficient ventilation
Building systems were chosen for simplicity and energy saving: heated floors, double-flow
mechanical ventilation, variable lighting according to the intensity of natural light

Vehicle circulation:

Principal and teachers circulation:

Circulation -1

Childrens circulation

Circulation-2

QUALITATIVE
ANALYSIS

PLACE
S

M*M/R
OOM

NO.

M*M

NO

M*M

24-32

50-66

200254

400528

GROUP 12-18
ROOMS

36-50

72-100

MULTI
32
PURPO
SE
ROOMS

72

90

72

SIDE
ROOMS

18-36

18

24

TEACHI
NG
EQUIP
MENT
ROOMS

18-36

18

24

CLASS
ROOM

WORK
ROOM
SIDE
ROOM

16

72

72

24

24

TEACHE
RS
FLAT
SPORTS
HALL

600

OPEN
AIR
SPORTS
FACULT
Y
BREAK
AREA
WITH
GYMNA
STICS

600

1200

PLAY
EQUIPM
ENTS

150

300

SCHOO
L
GARDE
N

150

300

PLAYIN
G FIELD

1 PITCH

1 PITCH

PLACES M*M/R
OOM
GENERA
LTEACHI
NG
ROOM

NO.

M*M
324-490

SPECIAL
IST
CLASS
ROOMS

NO

M*M
592-748

96

SCHOOL
LIBRARY
MEDIA
ROOMS

60

72

ADMINIS
TRATIO
N

36

102

HEAD
TEACHE
RS
ROOMS
COMMU
NAL

12-16

60

92

92

WORKSPACE
Distribution in three areas: spaces both open and protected
For this project, Topos mobilized its expertise in the design of local
childcare and imagined the organization of spaces,welcome small
adult conversations in the lobby, playing in the garden, cohabitation
between large and small, delivering meals, working conditions of
staff, security ...
The study of these scenarios resulted in a division of the building into
three zones:
- Spaces "children" located on the garden side, away from the noise
and crowds: living rooms, activity rooms, exchange rooms, rest rooms
- Inside the door frames, windows and vents patios are made of mixed
- Public areas and patios
wood and aluminum

- The servants areas, side streets

MATERIALS USED
Materials selected for their
environmental quality and
sustainability
The architects retained healthy and
environmentally friendly materials:
Douglas facade, insulation made
from recycled textile fibers or wood
fibers, eco-labeled VOC 2 paintings,
flooring natural rubber, solvent-free
adhesives ...
Reduced waterproofing exterior
surfaces
To protect the water cycle, sealed
surfaces were, as far as possible,
reduced: the green roof and the
garden soil surface are the
waterproofing coefficient of the plot
below 50% of its surface
Windows face inward towards the
patios and gardens, while the
sloping roof is topped with a
chimney-like structure that houses
an attic filled with ventilation
equipment
Four large multi-purpose rooms are
contained within the building and
can be subdivided to accommodate
different activities

TYPES OF ROOMS
The living rooms are large single
volumes configured to allow
different types of development.
Each has two bedrooms and a
divisible space of exchange
used sound buffer with the
living space and provides direct
access to the protected garden.
In kids spaces noise is a
common issue and thus the
acoustic factor has to be take
care of.
The architect of maison de la
enface made good efforts to
render this situation.
The whole structure is made by
timber cladding over tough
concrete on either sides like
sandwich.
Thus making the structure not
only strong but also with sound
proof surfaces.

STORAGE
storage area is
between the
premises and it
is easily
accessible.
The colours
used are bright
and matches the
children
psychology.

SANITATION:
In an urge of keeping
children healthy the
architect have payed a
great attention.
Often kids spill dirt around
them and they must be
kept clean.
Thus the kindergarten is
provided with enough
wash basins here and
there.
In play ground and
dressing room also.
A secure and healthy bath
room with colourfull paints
and well furnished and
also its aesthetic appeal is
an added advantage

ACOUSTICS
Acoustically this structure is
planned well.
The way in which building
materials is used does not let the
internal and external noises
exchange .
All the windows open inside the
structure.
Enough space between two rooms
is provided.

GAME ROOM/PLAY AREA:

It is run by a team of five people, including three teachers of young children.
A home game room is equipped with educational materials and motor to receive childminders and
parental assistants accompanied the children they keep

GARDEN:
This protected garden is an integral part of the project. It was designed as a true private room of
800 m2. It ensures a smooth transition with future public spaces and adjacent pedestrian routes,
through a row of wooden slats slatted, 1.50 m high, identical to those facades and lined with a
hedge shrub

CONCLUSION
In this way, the building is based on a domestic
and hospitable universe: presence of wood not
only outside but also inside, reception and
common spaces user-friendly, roof partially built
in double slope, omnipresent natural light,
generous vegetation.
The present kindergarten of france and designed
by topos architecture is an epic and elanfull
structure.
Though simple but classical.
Though not flushed with technologies but full of
vegetation.
A bit small but enough resources.

Thank you.