As with many Singaporean pre- schools, however, Cove 2 was sited within a somewhat generic office space, lacking many of the elements one would expect in a vibrant or attractive educational setting. To create a sense of place, the designers at Lekker Architects returned to the classic image of the schoolhouse—actually re-constructing one within the neutral column-field of the office unit. Teachers' offices and infant care rooms were imagined as the interior of this little building-within-a-building, set in a loose arrangement of windows and gables. The space around the "house" becomes something like a schoolyard: four open-planned learning zones set under columns re-cast to resemble trees. Overhead, a drifting curvilinear trellis conceals services and evokes a sheltering bank of cloud.

Within this “schoolyard” there are a number of innovations. All furniture was custom designed, to support the teaching philosophy of Cove 2 and to promote the ergonomic needs of the students. Tables and benches were manufactured at incremental sizes, so that students of different ages and stages could use them comfortably. In addition to conventional classroom furniture, seating was re-imagined as a collection of soft topographical forms, rather than conventional chairs—allowing students to occupy them in a broad range of ways. Because the windows of the original office unit are positioned above a child's eye-level, a periscope was developed that allows the students to look out. An observation booth (for trainee teachers) is designed as a timber garden shed, and can be used by children who desire a quiet moment or an intimate space to retreat.

The design program of Cove 2 continues to the outside, as the unit extends to a small covered exterior space. This area was not well suited for a conventional playground, and was re-considered as a series of micro-environments for imaginative play. The team created a set of follies, suggesting storybook themes in a highly abstract design language of form and colour. There is a tiny house, which alternately resembles a factory, a theatre, and a crocodile. There is a winding river of sand, and a shelter in the woods. There is also a range of conical "hills"—a hybrid of Aldo Rossi and "Yellow Submarine"—that can be climbed. Topographical seats and stairs extend the formal theme of the interior to the outside. Additionally, a lush perimeter garden of native plant species forms a jungle-y backdrop for play.

Site 2. Kindle Garden

Kindle Garden is Singapore’s first inclusive preschool, built at the SGEnable campus in Redhill for a student body of 40% disabled children. “Disabled,” in this case, included ASD, hearing and visual impairments, Down Syndrome, and motor-neuron diseases. The interior architecture was based upon research into best design practices for these conditions—in terms of spatial environments, furniture, and therapeutic needs. By necessity, this extended to investigations of the impact of colour and pattern, materiality, and visual cues to the comfort and enrichment of children with disabilities generally. This work was interesting, and challenging, because few publications exist which describe sensory triggers for this population. That is, we have little understanding as to how well (or poorly) existing architecture serves them.  

The Kindle Garden classroom spaces are partially enclosed, and are defined by a dominant colour. To keep the environment visually calm, a mini-spectrum (within each colour) was created, so that variation could still exist. All therapeutic devices have been redesigned to resemble play elements—in order to erase the stigma associated with disability, and create an environment that all students will find comfortable. Soothing experiences, in the form of swings and hammocks, are found at the edges of principal spaces. Areas for moments of aggression and anxiety have been redesigned, also, without stigma. In contrast to the conventional “padded room” model, these are simply nest-like partial enclosures at the edges of the classrooms, with a restricted visual palette and soft materials to prevent self-harm. The Kindle Garden school faced much skepticism and opposition during the planning and design process, but opened to a long waiting list of parents of both special-needs and typically developing children.

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Tour 4

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