CEBRA reinvents housing typologies with the children's house of the future

CEBRA reinvents housing typologies with the children’s house of the future
image © mikkel frost | CEBRA
all images courtesy of CEBRA

in kerteminde, denmark, danish practice CEBRA has recently completed a 24-hour child care center to help orphaned children with particular needs prepare themselves for the next step in their lives. it was of utmost importance to create  communal environment that would feel like home to the children without one, at the same time catering to the individual spatial needs of their young inhabitants that could range from kids to teenagers.  for this reason, the image of the traditional ‘house’ was taken and abstracted into a modern construct offering quaint living areas and pedagogical services. the wood-clad forms fit in perfectly in the residential context in which it resides while communicating a sense of creativity and diversity. the structure is composed of four homes, each serving a specific age group, connected by a shared area.

front elevation
image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

by breaking up the structure into zones, the scale is kept more relatable to a home environment and not a boxy institution. the smaller children are housed in the wings closes to the playgrounds and parks oriented towards the interior of the site. the shared space faces the entryway and contains the offices that look out onto the parking lot, giving employees a view of who is coming in and out of the building. the older children in turn are situated in the area closest to the street, allowing them easy access to the city and social events. administrative functions and utilities are located primarily in the basement so as to stay out of the way of the residential ambiance of the structure.

image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

patios look out onto the gardens and playground
image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

the exterior is clad in wooden planks and brick masonry walls
image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

decks provide access to the exterior
image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

interior multi-functional rooms
image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

light-filled interior with views to the outside
image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

classroom
image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

in context
image © mikkel frost | CEBRA

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project info:

location: strandgårds alle, kerteminde, dk
client: kerteminde municipality
project size: 1.500 m² new building
year: 2012 – 2014
status: completed
awards: nominated for the european union prize for contemporary architecture – mies van der rohe award 2015
architect: cebra
landscape architect: pk3
engineer: søren jensen
photography credits: mikkel frost / cebra