The Kindergarten’s construction is a combination of massive wood walls and wood stud walls clad with plywood, while interior supporting walls and surfaces consist of prefabricated solid wood. It has four distinct departments, two catering for very young children plus two large paediatric areas, and is designed so that children spend much of their time outside in the highly forested area.
To reduce the footprint, it is arranged on two floors both of which can easily be accessed from outside including via a bridge from the higher part of the site. Corridor lengths have been reduced to a minimum giving universal access to all the facilities. Window sills are lowered to maximise views while interior doors are finished with brightly coloured foil depicting images of nature. The idea is to maximise the experience of every child, to help them build confidence and develop a sense of belonging between the youngest, the oldest and the adults.
Because of the green focus in this project, the specification of high performance materials was very important. Project architect Gunhild Aadahl of Pir II Architects in Tronheim says, “Troldtekt acoustic panels were chosen for the ceilings because the product answered all our needs. It performs extremely well acoustically, it is green and not only that it looks good! The low emission figure was also a decisive factor in our specifying this and other internal products, because ventilation had to be kept to a minimum to save energy but without compromising the indoor air quality.”
