The Plympton Childcare Centre is a two-storey building with outdoor play areas split over two levels.
Plympton is an inner southwestern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.
Designed by Gardiner Architects, the interior incorporates soft materials and tones along with curved walls and light, open rooms that were designed with the intention of incorporating playful architectural elements.
Gardiner Architects inherited this project at a stage where the building was already partially constructed for a different childcare operator.
The tilt slab frame of the building was already installed on-site providing the rectilinear external form.
So the design team set out to create dynamic internal spaces, with consideration of access to natural light, ease of supervision, as well as circulation throughout the facility.
This project was akin to the adaptive reuse of the existing building stock.
That approach has become a more common way of providing childcare facilities in built-up areas where the demand for childcare is high but suitable sites are scarce.
While Gardiner Architects didn’t choose the building form, the design team found creative ways to work with what was there to minimize wastage and adapt the building form to best suit their client’s needs.
The original floor plan had long, narrow Activity Rooms with minimal access to daylight.
By reformatting the internal spaces and incorporating wider Activity Rooms, the spaces became lighter and more open while being more useable with larger, more flexible play spaces provided.
The previous design located the bathrooms between each room along the exterior walls to connect with the outdoor play spaces.
The Gardiner Architects’ design chose to relocate the children’s bathrooms.
Setting them back within the building provided more area for windows and doors and therefore a connection to the outdoors and access to natural light.
Bathroom facilities servicing the outdoor areas were provided separately to align with regulatory requirements.
The design team worked within the parameters of the regulations but found the best way to work with those constraints to deliver the optimum project outcome.
The facilities were organized to allow for connection between spaces and for the ease of movement of staff as well as groups of children.
When entering the building, views through to the kitchen and dining area as well as the activity rooms allow parents dropping off their children to see through to some of the spaces they’ll be spending the day in.
The street-facing façade was bare concrete.
So the design team explored ways to make the building more distinct and visually appealing from the street.
Timber battens along with a soft green tile were incorporated.
This helped activate and define the entry.
The outdoor play spaces are located at the rear of the site, separate from the street.
The open areas incorporate veggie gardens, a chicken coop, and a range of play elements that foster imaginative play.
The visual connection between the two levels of outdoor play is provided through a large light well cut into the upper level.
This also allows a wash of light to enter the building, mitigating the impact of the large overhang of the upper level.
On this upper level, the Gardiner Architects’ design team placed the outdoor play space dedicated to the younger age groups, as it was deemed more suited to the lower-scale covered outdoor space.
Project Details
Completion Date – 2020
Building Levels – 2
Project Team
Architecture
Gardiner Architects
Gardiner Architects is an established practice of six architects and ancillary staff.
Founded over 30 years ago by director Paul Gardiner, the practice seeks to create thoughtful and honest architecture that is sustainable and well-made.
Photography
Aaron Citti
Aaron Citti is an award-winning commercial photographer based in Adelaide, Australia. He is an Associate of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) and specializes in professional commercial, architecture, and interior photography.
His work includes commercial and architecture projects in Australia and overseas, with many of his works published nationally and internationally in London, New York, Indonesia, Fiji, and New Zealand.
Photo Gallery
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Design © 2022 Gardiner Architects. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2022 Aaron Citti. All Rights Reserved.
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