Vaaralanpuisto daycare centre in Vantaa is an example of a new innovative daycare centre design. The building was designed by Jari Frondelius, Jaakko Keppo, Juha Salmenperä, Jalo Sippola and Maija Viljanen from AFKS Architects.

One of the founding ideas of the design was the energy efficiency of the building. The daycare centre is almost a zero-energy building, and with that, it realises the emission reduction targets of the city of Vantaa. The construction of Vaaralanpuisto daycare centre was completed in 2017.

Vaaralanpuisto daycare centre development was carefully designed considering the plot and its surroundings in Vaarala suburb. The building’s massing and façade colouring have been fitted to the surrounding built environment which consists of detached houses from various decades. The old oak trees on the plot were protected during the construction of the building. The placement of the building in the plot and the orientation of the main spaces were designed considering the old trees on the plot. Because of this, it seems that the daycare centre has been on the site a longer time.

The warm colours, the use of wood and the building’s wavy shape invite for play. The wavy shapes continue to define the interiors. The interiors are a carefully considered mixture of intimate spaces for the groups and open learning spaces. The main hall opens to the courtyard.