COBE conceives copenhagen kindergarten as a small village

after four years of planning and construction, the ‘frederiksvej kindergarten’ — designed by danish architects COBE — has officially opened in copenhagen. conceived as small village setting, the scheme consists of  house-shaped volumes with play spaces organized around two winter gardens, creating a safe and stimulating environment for over 180 young children. breaking away from the traditional, large scale institutional daycare environment, the scheme consists of 11 fragmented, yet connected volumes that ensure a wide range of spaces for the building’s occupants.

the scheme has been conceived as small village setting
image by rasmus hjortshøj – coast studio

‘we wanted to create a kindergarten in a class of its own,’ explains dan stubbergaard, founder and creative director of COBE. ‘a place that provides the best possible settings for our children to grow up in, and promotes their learning and creativity. children are our most valuable resource and it is important that they get a good and safe childhood. today there is a tendency towards building bigger and bigger kindergartens. but it is important for us to create intimacy and space for the children’s small worlds in the kindergarten, where they spend a large part of their day. diversity has been a keyword for the design, and we have created a variety of rooms, which are supporting diverse types of activities for the children in all seasons.’

the scheme consists of 11 fragmented, yet connected volumes
image by rasmus hjortshøj – coast studio

as well as offering children the opportunity to establish small individualized play spaces, the kindergarten prioritizes a coherent and clear organization and layout. two atriums at each end of the building connect the different floors and group rooms, while simultaneously functioning as central gathering points. this promotes informal meetings among children, employees and parents. ‘we have worked to create a simple expression as a caricature of how a child might draw a house,’ continues stubbergaard. ‘the roofline for example, is kept uncluttered by means of hidden drains and precise material connections, and the windows are carefully designed to look frameless – as a child would maybe draw them.’

the kindergarten prioritizes a coherent and clear organization and layout
image by rasmus hjortshøj – coast studio

surrounding the main kindergarten, six additional ‘houses’ located in the playground area are used for the storage of strollers, toys, and tools. within the main kindergarten building, house-shaped structures are used to enclose spaces such as kitchenettes, cradles, playrooms and baby changing facilities — all in keeping with the concept of a village environment.

the design promotes informal meetings among children, employees, and parents
image by rasmus hjortshøj – coast studio

internally, rooms of various sizes and types have been created for the occupants as a result of the 11 offset volumes. the structure consists of two to three storeys with group rooms that have individual access to the outdoor space on each floor. surrounded by apartment buildings, villas and small gardens, the kindergarten adapts to the different scales of the local community and reflects the varied nature of the neighboring pitched roofs.

the kindergarten reflects the varied nature of the neighboring pitched roofs
image by rasmus hjortshøj – coast studio

the structure comprises group rooms that have individual access to the outdoor space on each floor
image by rasmus hjortshøj – coast studio

internally, rooms of various sizes have been created for the occupants
image by rasmus hjortshøj – coast studio

the atriums function as central gathering points
image by rasmus hjortshøj – coast studio

two atriums at each end of the building connect the different floors and group rooms
image by adam mørk

the project creates a safe and stimulating environment for over 180 young children
image by adam mørk

small house-shaped structures are used to enclosed spaces such as kitchenettes, cradles and playrooms
image by adam mørk

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project info:

location: copenhagen, denmark
client: frederiksberg municipality
architect: COBE
landscape architect: preben skaarup landskab
engineer: søren jensen rådgivende ingeniør rma
consultant: learning spaces
program: kindergarten for 182 children aged zero to six years
size: 1,700 sqm
status: 1st prize in competition in 2011, completed 2015
photography: rasmus hjortshøj and adam mørk

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