SECOND PRIZE AWARD

Winning Project, 2016

.

Introduction

Today's children are much less connected to the natural world than at any other time in history. Children spend on average 90% of their time pulled indoors in artificial built environments away from nature; the natural connection has been replaced with more interaction with the digital world, virtual experience, and less unstructured outdoor play. This 'nature deficit' has entirely new health consequences that we have recently recognized through the sky-rocketing rates of childhood obesity and type-two diabetes and increased psychological stress. Meanwhile, nature can provide physical and psychological wellbeing, intrapersonal skills, cognitive functioning benefits and freedoms for these same children. In the past decade, the movement to (re)connect children with nature has grown immensely.

February 2016

INTERACTIVE SUSTAINABLE Child Daycare Center

This (re) connection acts as a meaningful component in wider biophilic design (a concept which has been shown to reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought and improve wellbeing). The biophilic design uses fresh air, daylight and water features. It creates visual and physical connections with nature. It incorporates natural materials or those that mimic nature and natural forms. And then uses an understanding of human evolution to guide the design, finishes, and furnishings and bring out certain emotions in the dwellers. Constructing architectural spaces for such vulnerable types of users "early childhood" should be associated with achieving affordability, ease of usage, simplicity of implementation, maintainability and low-cost construction.

Design Features

Reused colored wallpaper is used as a wallpaper to bring a colorful theme in classrooms.

The central tree is the project's heart, it's the link between fauna, flora, architecture and children.

Responding to different climate conditions is an important method to connect children with their nature.

Re-Connecting With Nature

In the First entry, Design Reuse and Produce Experimental Workshop DRPE, young architects and designers were invited to present their most inspired designs about an interactive child daycare center unit that fosters the ideas of spatial sustainable evolution and adaptability in a constantly changing environment, which will eventually lead to a better educational process, better conditions for the kids, and helps making Egypt greener. Following this, entries are invited for the second phase of the Competition RE-Connect with Nature Architectural Competition, in which young architects and designers are encouraged to develop design proposals for any of the three selected by the jury in the first stage. The main challenge is to reflect the children connection to the natural environment in an architectonic installation, in addition to, architecturally interpret the sustainability technical values in the design of child care centers. The first winner's idea will be executed in the BUE Campus

Experience

Connecting by

Colors

Connecting by

Activities

Connecting by

Integration

PLANS

Inspired by the benefits of both biophilic design and low cost sustainable construction, the Interactive Sustainable Child Daycare Center (ISCDC).

balancing environmental sustainable performance and incorporate biophilia and low cost transferable sustainable construction in a more innovative and inspiring designs for children.