Postiljooni Daycare Center

6, Lavakatu, Helsinki, Finland

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Postiljooni Daycare Center

6, Lavakatu, Helsinki, Finland

Firm

Verstas Architects Ltd.

Type

Educational › Nursery

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2025

SIZE

10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft

Postiljooni Daycare Center is located in the new Postipuisto residential district, developed on the site of a former logistics terminal and railway depot area. The compact daycare building occupies a prominent location at the intersection of Kollikatu and Lavakatu, where the urban block structure meets the rugged rocky terrain. The design approach has been to align the building with the surrounding streets while preserving the area’s highest natural feature—Kollikallio—as an integral part of the children’s playground.

The building is terraced into the hillside. The common areas are positioned in the stone-clad base level, enlivening the streetscape with expansive windows. The children’s areas on the first floor open directly onto the play yard.

The street-level façade forms a horizontal stone plinth for the building. Above this heavy base, the upper volume appears lighter, akin to a timber-clad pavilion articulated by a rhythmic pattern of windows and vertical wooden slats. The ascending roof planes accentuate the building’s corner, where the public entrance sits sheltered beneath a recessed canopy. The brick base incorporates recesses emphasized with colored glazed bricks and sculptural relief masonry.

On the side facing the play yard, the building’s scale becomes more intimate. A sculptural, expansive canopy protects the children’s entrances and creates a micro-climatically favorable outdoor space for play. Viewed from atop the rocky outcrop, the folded roof surface becomes the building’s fifth façade.

The interior material and color palette aims for a harmonious atmosphere. Light ash wood, concrete surfaces, and carefully selected colors create a calm backdrop for children’s activities. In-situ cast concrete walls frame the main staircase connecting the building’s levels. The lower portion of the timber-clad stair extends into a small stage facing the multipurpose space.

Glass walls and doors between rooms create elongated interior sightlines. The entrance area and lobby open toward the play yard with large windows, while the rhythmic windows shape the character of the interior.