Successful interior and exterior design

The kindergarten Børnehuset Frederiksvej is getting a lot of positive attention for its design - inside and out - by COBE Architects and for the ingenious solutions to a number of functional challenges which have been achieved based on a simple yet expressive architectural idiom.

The new kindergarten is one of the largest daycare facilities at Frederiksberg in central Copenhagen with room for 182 children. Wedged between a neighbourhood of residential blocks of flats and more scattered low-rise housing, the scale of the building creates a fine transition, made up as it is of eleven small, juxtaposed buildings with minor variations. The look is not unlike a caricature of a child’s drawing of a house.

Despite its size, the institution has a homely and intimate feel, not least thanks to the recognisable house shapes and in-between spaces. The inclination of the roof line recurs inside to produce an impressive diversity of spatial variation to challenge the children. The small houses are recurring elements in the form of, for example, house-shaped storage boxes made of plywood, playhouses, cribs and houses in many other contexts.

Interior design with structure

COBE Architects’ interior design is distinctly monochrome but with structure and texture. The colours will be provided by the children and their creative exploits. The variation in materials is also remarkable and supports the spatial variation.

The inox netting in the atria with its fine structure and scale also serves a decorative purpose. The plywood houses and the Troldtekt acoustic ceilings are also rustic with an honest structure and a dynamic surface. Troldtekt has been used both for system ceilings on the ground and first floors and on the inclined ceilings. With the built-in Troldtekt light fittings, the ceilings constitute a calm surface which at the same time ensures excellent acoustics for children and staff.