We have been called to design a Nursery in a new district in Dubai. We therefore thought to create a child-friendly environment in which future Dubaites could play and grow in synergy with nature. “Akoya Nursery School” wants to be one of these places- Places of Integration and Knowledge. Our vision supports a pedagogic ethos of inclusivity, free play, learning through nature and ecological responsibility. It is designed around a flexible playground opening onto an outdoor play area that forms part of the common gardens. Like a pavilion with continual connections with the landscape, it encourages interior/exterior activities.

Spaces are situated around a central court which locates the focal point of our project: a tree, symbol of knowledge and growth, where children will play (beneath its shade).
The project comprises the Design and Construction of a modern medium to high quality Nursery School capable of caring forchildren from Infants (45 days) to Pre-schoolers (4 year) ages.
We designed a suspended architecture above a sunken playground that is conceived as a court in which the interior and exterior are in visual continuity thanks to the internal façade that is a glazed curtain wall.

The services are enclosed in colorful volumes and all spaces (where children’ activities take place) are in visual continuity with the external playgrounds.
Designed as an oasis, the school has an autonomous micro-climate thanks to the a big canopy-roof and a shade structure that protects the court from the sun.
As in a real home, children grow in a protected environment where every detail is designed and thought for them: natural materials and modular furniture elements easy to move, were chosen to arrange the classroom with flexibility, to accommodate changing daily educational activities.
The integrated signage system, inspired iconographically by the natural and animal world helps to make a more playful Nursery and to create an atmosphere where imagination and creativity are the main means of education.