Educational Buildings I: Pre-School

"Children's furniture must be for children, rather than small copies of adult furniture." says designer Jesper K. Thomsen. This is an equally valid statement for children's buildings and spaces. In fact, scientific research may reveal children aged 3 to 5 are more often impressed by super-size than small-scale. When it comes to designing an educational environment for children at their most impressionable pre-school age, there is always the jeopardy of being either too serious or too superficial. When most of today's adults were children - architects included, playgrounds were asphalt areas with basic motor play equipment of doubtful security and kindergartens were considered fair enough as long as they possessed enough room to accommodate the basic pre-school age activities like sleep, play, and dining. However, it has been clear for quite some time now design could be a part of a child's education and a provocatively designed 'empty' space of inherent dynamics could end up being more stimulating to children than a trivial space filled up with all the toys and playground equipment in the world. Children appreciate freedom,variety, colour and nature. They are in fact the most open-minded client an architect could ever hope for so be ready to give them your best, most creative, and most liberated from conventional wisdom and paradigms. In the words of artist and children-focused designer Rebecca Peragine: "Inspire children. Change the world."