My First Skool at Punggol Drive

My First Skool LCCC at Punggol Drive is one of the first mega childcare centres in Singapore. With a built-up area of 8,800sqm, it will house 1000 children, aged 0-4 years. The brief calls for a design that encourages multi-age mixing and learning and growing through play. 5 play zones were designed on the 1st Storey and Roof Terrace, providing children with myriad sensorial and relational experiences. These include a sand pit, waterplay area, planting garden, imaginative play structures and large pockets for children to run/cycle, giving both teachers and children the freedom to explore and learn in an exciting, engaging environment. The 2-storey centre is designed as mirrored “pods”, symmetrically connected in the middle with a large entrance thoroughfare at 1st storey, Dining Piazza on the 2nd storey and sky bridge at the roof terrace. Each Pod surrounds a central piazza with grand sweeping ramps that allow seamless connections to all levels. The ramps’ balustrades, made of a curved mesh panel, is necessary for safety but porous enough to become an interesting “tunnel” feature for children. The naturally-ventilated piazza is sheltered from the natural elements by a large Teflon “tent-like” structure supported by a ship-like mast steel column at its centre, becoming a playful expression from the exterior. The façade, of large fixed glass louvre panels, follows a curved axis that responds to the sun path for maximum shading. Suspended HVLS fans in this triple volume space optimizes airflow circulation, creating a pleasant environment for playing and dining in the indoor garden space. A central courtyard brings in natural light to the otherwise deep layout of classrooms. Classroom spaces are designed column-free for flexibility. Each class is directly connected to shared supporting facilities (eg. Pantry/Toilet/Diaper-Change).