Raising the awareness of sustainability from a child's perspective

Slagelse Municipality is developing a new kindergarten with key focus on sustainability, learning, movement and nature. Our proposal for the institution is designed to create awareness among children around natural ecosystems and the use of shared resources, with the goal of becoming the first DGNB-certified kindergarten on Zealand.  

The project creates a playful environment where kids can grow, move and learn in safe and familiar surroundings. The kindergarten is broken down in scale, by shaping a child-sized village consisting of 7 unique houses – one for each group of children. Low CO2 footprint material such as upcycled bricks, slate or woodchips characterize the individual houses, making them unique in both material and shape, while promoting sustainability.  The scheme is developed based on recent research studies showing that small-scale buildings with niches and unique spaces help foster a sense of familiarity for children.  

The individual houses are connected by an inner playscape, which extends into the playground – removing the boundary of inside and outside. The shared playscape incorporates four sustainability-themed narratives combined with educational learning themes: The Forest, The Vegetable Garden, The Sensory Garden and The Wave. Each theme encourages children to actively observe and investigate natural processes, sustainable practices and resource use.

For example, The Forest theme introduces children to the life cycle of wood. It begins with a forest of wild trees, continues as logs brought inside the building, transforms into wooden play structures, and ends with the wood being part of the building itself, where the walls, ceilings, and load-bearing elements are made entirely of natural wood.

WE, in collaboration with MOE, Hovaldt Arkitekter and Lassen Landskab and pedagogy consultant Marie Martinussen, has been prequalified in the competition for the new Jonslunden Kindergarten.