The challenge of the competition that led to this project was to design a building that could combine a kindergarten on the first floor with a public underground parking garage in a compact way.
This unusual task resulted in a hybrid building that meets the different requirements of both programs with an unconventional building structure: the floor plan of the kindergarten on the first floor is based on the minimum width of 18 meters required for an efficient design of the underground car park.
In order to minimize the loads on the ceiling slab of the parking lot, the roof of the kindergarten above the first floor was designed as a free-span construction. Prestressed concrete beams in conjunction with a large concrete slab, which follows the shape of the outer pitched roof, transfer the majority of the vertical loads to the outer facades. At the same time, the striking roof construction creates atmospheric, tent-like spaces inside, which are flooded with daylight via generous linear skylights.
The concrete beams in combination with the wooden, non-load-bearing fixtures divide the interior into three kindergarten compartments, which are connected by large sliding doors. Circular openings in the concrete beams allow visual connections between the main rooms and the cozy, skylit mezzanines between the beams.
