The project conceived by Michel Grasso and Paul Le Quernec is designed around the idea of a body cell, placing the nursery at the center of the layout as the nucleus, the surrounding gardens as the cytoplasm, and a circumscribing wall as the enclosing membrane.
A large outdoor playground is generated through a continuous curvilinear wall that shapes out the boundaries of the facility. The 'vaginal' entrance is characterized by a concrete vault which is a continuation of the peripheral wall. Floating within its membrane, the nursery welcomes visitors into a round space at the center of the building, enlightened by a covered patio. All the children's spaces radiate outwards from this central room.
These concepts of transitional space and centripetal walkways avoid the effects of corridors and of starts or ends of movement. Thus, the playrooms spread out like a hand-held fan ideally oriented to the south, each one leading to its own playground. The curved lines of walls and ceilings underline the organic and uterine concept which provides safety and comfort within the building for children as for parents.
Double scaling
The ceiling height in the surrounding playrooms is 2,10 meters-high to create a comfortable environment for the babies and children. Thus, to give a stronger spotlight on this idea, Grasso and Le Quernec combined it with a variation of ceilings heights up to 4,20 meters, creating a large range of spaces and volumes. Thanks to this contrast effect, the units with low ceilings are perceived as protective recesses.
The circulation space and the children's units are lit by zenithal openings, creating a contrast between spaces with low ceilings that are moderately lit and spaces that generously receive daylight. Curves smooth the transition between different ceiling heights, generating various reflections of light on the ceilings.
Considering the childrens' perceptions of the building, Grasso and Le Quernec decided to turn it into variously dimensioned boxes emerging from a cluster of bamboo and capturing the daylight. This idea does not only consist of an aesthetic function; thanks to its shade, the bamboo coat protects the frontages of the building from over-heating while the hat-shaped boxes regulate the energy intake depending on the season.
Project team: BET Jost (heating and ventilation system engineer), HN ingénierie (structural engineer), E3 économie (building costs consultant), François Liermann (sustainability consultant), Ingemansson (acoustic consultant), Ecotral (restauration consultant)
Client: Communauté d'Agglomération Sarreguemines Confluences
Built area: 1350m2
Cost: 2 400 000 euro
Completion: June 2011
The project is designed as a body cell, placing the nursery at the center of the layout as the nucleus, surrounding gardens as the cytoplasm, and a circumscribing enclosing wall as the membrane.
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