Kingsdown Pre School
A purpose-built village nursery school
This new nursery provides much-needed pre-school facilities for a village in Kent. We were approached by Kingsdown Pre School at the outset to help identify a site and possible funding opportunities for a new, purpose-built nursery.
Drawing on our experience on community-based projects, we worked closely with the school and the local community in a series of engagement exercises to establish the need for a new building and identify a suitable site. We also provided early design work to help attract a development grant for the detailed phase of the project. This early work allowed the project to move forward while funds were sought for later stages. We were able to help guide the client through this process, helping to establish viability at all points.
The new timber-framed, building will contain a large multi-use teaching space allowing up to 30 pre-school-age children at any one time. The interiors were developed thought close consultation with nursery staff and include an enhanced teaching space which can be sub-divided, offering flexibility over pupil numbers and age groups. Children can also enjoy a new external play area and garden. A pair of triangular-shaped window bays are scaled to the height of the children to create cosy reading-nooks.
The position and orientation of the building will serve to improve and give character to a previously neglected corner of the village. It offers a generous new civic frontage and improves local road safety through a new integrated travel plan drawn up in consultation with the Primary School.
The building is clad in white-painted vertical timber boarding, and features a pink chevron-boarded entrance, recessed to provide a generous covered waiting space for parents. Integrated signage references that of the nearby village hall as well as traditional civic buildings which act as key landmarks within their local area.
The metal rainwater goods and timber-framed windows are both painted jade green as are the bespoke ‘lolly-pop’ railings that form the boundary.
