Architect
AFKS Architects
Completion
2009
Gross area
1060 m²
Category
Buildings for institutional care Educational buildings
Tags
colour daycare centre welfare wood

The Leppävaara district in Espoo has undergone many changes in the past two decades. The dragon red daycare centre, built by the City of Espoo, sits amidst the apple trees of a former orchard on a sunny spot at the foot of a rock.

The daycare centre was designed by architects, Jari Frondelius, AJakko Keppo and Juha Salmenperä. The free-flowing form of the building, the imaginative composition of window openings and versatile use of wood are all hallmarks of contemporary Finnish architecture. Although the design brief, a strict budget and municipal decision-making have provided the conventional framework for the design process, the outcome is fresh.

The spatial concept is based on a central corridor with group rooms organised on the south side auxiliary facilities facing north. The main hall that serves the entire daycare centre and residents’ park activities was situated at the juncture of the two wings that follow the contour on the site. The hall is entirely lined with birch boarding which lends the space a warm atmosphere. The use of different sized windows gives the building a playful character.

Text: Finnish Architectural Review 2/2010

Location

Porarinkatu 9, Espoo
60.2253313, 24.8160477

Images

South elevatio, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre
South elevatio, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre (© Jussi Tiainen / MFA)
Play area, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre
Play area, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre (© Jussi Tiainen / MFA)
Hall, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre
Hall, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre (© Jussi Tiainen / MFA)
Site plan, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre
Site plan, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre (© AFKS Architects)
Section plan, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre
Section plan, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre (© AFKS Architects)
Ground floor, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre
Ground floor, Ajurinmäki Daycare Centre (© AFKS Architects)

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