Nursery School in Dobříň

Year2014

CategoryCivic Amenities

LocationDobříň

StatusCompleted

The nursery school for 30 children stands on an exceptional plot right in the historic centre of the village of Dobříň, in a gap site on the village green with a view of the river and plenty of space for a garden with fruit trees. The design draws on the character of the local landscape and traditional rural buildings, which it interprets in a contemporary architectural language.

The basic shape of the building refers to the archetype of a village house with a pitched roof, while the colours, materials and figurative decoration build on the earthiness and ornamentation of local vernacular architecture. A significant aspect of the project is also its location in a floodplain, which influenced the structural design, the choice of resilient materials and the interior. The building thus combines a sensitive placement within its historic and landscape context with a technical solution prepared for the specific conditions of the site, creating a contemporary yet natural-feeling environment for children and for the everyday life of the village.

Client	Dobříň
Design team	Martin Krupauer

Architecture in the Context of the Village

The fundamental vision for the building was to set it into its surroundings in symbiosis with both the landscape and the village. The design concept draws on the historic context of the local vernacular architecture. The colours and materials build on the spirit of the place and give the building a characteristic earthiness.

In abstract terms, the building is based on the classic village house with a pitched roof. Rustic elements also appear on the façade, which is complemented by figurative sculptural motifs referring to the ornamentation of traditional architecture associated with the area. The decoration is the work of the sculptor and artist Jiří Vorel, who has a personal connection to the locality.

A World for Children

The nursery school in Dobříň is a return to the world of fairy tales and the world of children. It respects their visions and wishes and is meant to evoke a cottage which, despite its tumbledown appearance, offers harmony, warmth and space for free play.

The spatial concept of the interior layout works with openness to the greatest possible extent and sets itself against the sterility common in Czech nursery schools. A child can scribble on the wall and is not punished for it. The child becomes master of a space that can be freely reshaped. There are no fixed rules for how to use it, only a framework whose atmosphere is created by the users themselves. In this conception, the nursery can continually evolve and change.

Roof and Spatial Layout

The single-storey building has a rectangular plan. The roof is a distinctive architectural and identifying feature. On the north side it has a classic pitched form with a 35° slope; towards the south, the ridge gradually descends and smoothly approaches one of the walls of the building.

The roof truss is made of timber, and its structural arrangement responds to the span of the building. Approximately eight metres from the north gable, the roof pitch changes abruptly, creating an opening for a window that brings southern light into the children’s play area in the manner of a basilica clerestory. Where possible, the interior is open up to the roof truss. Above the remaining areas, the attic space is enclosed. A sleeping loft for approximately 25 children is planned within the roof space, with a swing and a slide that will also serve as an emergency exit.