A typical kindergarten building in Russia often resembles a multi-coloured box. The joint project of the Netherlands-based bureau LEVS architecten and Brusnika debunks this stereotype by designing a brick building with vibrant facades for Vidnoye town, just outside Moscow. A three-storey kindergarten admits children from 18 months to the age of 7. The building will be surrounded by a diversely landscaped park and playgrounds suitable for multiple age groups. The kindergarten forms part of a new residential quarter comprising six houses designed by Brusnika.

Several functional blocks shape the building: there are rooms hosting 12 groups of children, a gym, a music room, and a medical block. Bedrooms, playrooms and classrooms, where children spend most of their time, overlook the park with increased solar gain. The block extends into the park, while the facade windows are of varied sizes with some as tall as 4 metres in height. The function of different rooms accounts for the difference in opening heights: for instance, the dance studio requires more sunlight if compared to the bedrooms.

The street facade is much quieter. Facing the north, it hosts engineering and utility rooms. This side also features the building entrance with two symmetrically extended spaces drawing attention to the door, as if enticing inside.

One of the signature features of the building are wooden and aluminium windows, produced on Brusnika’s owned plant in Yekaterinburg. They are made of glued laminated timber and supplied with an aluminium cover plate for rain and snow protection. The wood promotes a healthy environment in playrooms and bedrooms, while the windows’ lifespan is 50 years.

The kindergarten facade is brick clad, with white brick used for the ground level and terracotta coloured decorating the first and second floors. Textured brickwork surrounding the windows and the entrance adds relief to the facade and accentuates the openings. The building is devoid of thresholds and stairs as the floor is levelled to the ground, so toddlers can enter the kindergarten in pushchairs.

An atrium in the hall greets children with a live tree, whose growth and development can be observed all year round. The kindergarten interior is conceived in natural shades: milk white, ochre, and terracotta, and using natural finishing materials, such as brick, timber and pebble. Bright wooden furniture adds colour to the space. A unique feature of the building is a safe slide, which can be used to go downstairs from the first floor.

The rich play environment of the kindergarten spreads into the surrounding park. The landscape is made of green rooms - open classrooms and play zones complete with little houses offering entertainment for children of different ages. The playgrounds for toddlers and young children of 3 to 4 are enriched with natural materials and textures to stimulate sensory development, imagination and creativity. Children aged 4 to 5 can enjoy playgrounds focusing on wildlife, where they can learn about insects, birds and other forest inhabitants. Kids from 6 to 7 are offered play and educational zones featuring adventures, as well as areas for in-depth study of forest plants. Climbing into a tree house is an activity for the oldest children.

The central part of the park presents a shared zone with a small amphitheatre, which can be used alternatively as a stage, drama studio, play ground, or picnic spot. One more area on the premises is multifunctional, which can adapted for a host of games both in winter and summer.

The park surrounding the kindergarten will comprise typical trees for Moscow climate zone, such as lime trees, birches, maples, Nordmann firs, lilacs, pines, bird cherry trees and oaks, creating the much-needed shade.

Once Brusnika has completed construction, the building will become public property.

Project team

Developer 一 Brusnika
Master plan and architecture 一 LEVS architecten
Senior project architect 一 Adriaan Mout, Jurriaan van Stigt, Marianne Loof
Project architects 一 Anna Igumnova, Alexandra Predeina
Head of Brusnika’s architectural workshop 一 Dmitry Agarkov
Layouts 一 Brusnika. Design
Interiors 一 Brusnika. Design, CM ART
Landscape 一 S&P Architektura Krajobrazu
Project and working paperwork 一 KUB
Construction and completion 一 Brusnika
Project manager 一 Vitaly Yastremsky