The building provides a 96 place children’s day nursery on the site of a pair of derelict semi-detached houses and former bakery. A separate part of the development created two detached houses.
The scheme is designed to meet the need for a high-quality nursery facility in the local area which has extensive new housing developments planned. Consultations were undertaken with early years teaching consultants with regard to size, layout and provision.
The nursery building is single storey and is set behind the new houses which face the highway. It is served by a private car park and drop off area and is surrounded by mature trees and farmland and provides extensive external space for the children.
It has a central east / west axis with majority of children’s spaces facing southwards into the gardens and play space whilst the staff areas face north towards the public area providing passive security.
The building is split into two wings with a link between containing the entrance which leads to an external courtyard. The eastern wing contains the younger children’s rooms plus staff and training areas offices, whereas the west contains the older children’s rooms plus office and kitchen. The training room and office are located adjacent to the entrance to provide surveillance.
The children’s rooms are split into four age groups (babies, tweenies, toddlers and pre-school) and each have their own entrances so parents can drop off directly into the classrooms. Each classroom is tailored to the age of the children it contains.
The building is clad in timber below a pitched metal roof which also includes PV panels and rooflights to maximise passive ventilation and daylight.
The south elevation includes an extensive canopy above the large doors to the classrooms to provide both shade from the sun and also protection during inclement weather. This also extends across the external courtyard to provide a large gathering space.