Kai Early Learning Campus With Well Designed Communal Play Spaces | Educational Design Architects
Kai Early Years, an early childhood campus in Bengaluru, demonstrates a ‘third-teacher’ learning environment that nurtures the developmental needs of children aged two to six years through an engaging framework of consciously explorative and communal play spaces.
Visit : Education Design Architects
Located in Whitefield, an urban neighbourhood in Bengaluru that is home to a community of young professionals hailing from all parts of the world, Kai Early Years is spread over 1.8 acres – currently India’s largest early childhood campus. The campus consists of two independently functioning departments: the Learning Centre and the Community Centre – a large shaded play court between these two buildings forms the functional and social heart of the campus.
The Learning Centre houses learning pods, activity spaces, and administrative spaces. The learning pods and activity zones together form the School Block – a free-flowing expanse divided as per activity and usage, rather than typical age-based divisions. These permeable spaces or ‘pods’ comprise the ‘makers’ zone, the cognitive zone, reading and story-telling spaces, and art zones; situated peripherally are the music hall, the dramatics theatre, and the dance studio. The Community Centre houses day-care facilities as well as research spaces for early years education methodologies.
The two-storey structure is devoid of sharp lines and stark profiles, favoring curved profiles to envelope the interconnected ‘learning pods’; the undulating façade envelope also provides subtle cues for movement within the campus. A pergola with louvered edges forms the secondary envelope to the built form at the ground level, loosely following the building line and creating free-flowing circulation spaces below.
The design scheme is predicated on the dynamic interplay between the indoors and the outdoors to create a holistic learning environment: pods spill out onto learning decks and outdoor activity areas along the building periphery, low sill levels maintained across the structure ensure consistent visual interconnections, and glass-topped corridors and membrane roofing over shared outdoor spaces ensure that the students can venture outdoors at all times. This interplay is strengthened by the strategic use of indigenous flowering plants and fruit-bearing trees to line the circulatory spaces and outdoor play areas, as a teaching aid for children as well as for visual and environmental control.
The timber-and-white-plaster material palette continues in the interiors, creating a warm and congruous spatial experience with minimal physical or visual barriers; free-standing acoustic partitions and distinct ceiling and wall patterns mark the boundaries of each zone – building visual recognition skills among students without creating boxed-in spaces. The design is also sensitive to the emotional needs of children, and provides cozy nooks for solitary use that can be used for silent reading, individual play, or simply to withdraw from time to time.
Activity zones, whether indoors or outdoors, have been equipped with a variety of play structures to enhance kinesthetics intelligence. A highly tactile spatial experience combined with an open design format incorporated for the reconfigurable equipment encourages children to mindfully assemble play structures of their own imagination.
Fact File :
Architects: Education Design Architects
Area: 5202 m²
Year: 2019
Locaion : Bengalore
Architect In Charge: Mugdha Thakurdesai
Design Team: Shanti Jamoh, Abhishek Chopra, Sagar Vijaynidhi
Client: KAI Early Years
Electrical Consultants: SEED Engineering Consultants
Landscape: SEED Engineering Consultants
Photographs: Andre Fanthome
Source : Arch Daily
The house incorporates elements of Persian design while adhering to a minimalist luxury motif. The concept is a deep journey with luxury as its language, seclusion as its promise, and functionality as its cornerstone. Known as the princess of Jaipur, it pirouettes in response to outside visual cues such as curves and smooth edges. A modern […]
The house showcases a modern three-story residence exemplifying contemporary architectural design through its clean lines, geometric volumes, and a balanced interplay of materials. The facade skillfully combines textured tile cladding, smooth plaster, and contrasting color blocks in neutral shades of gray, black, and earthy rust, adding visual depth and dynamism. Expansive glass panels framed in […]
House of Silhouettes is located in Navratan, Udaipur. The plot is a corner one facing north and west 60’x40′ with a built-up area of 6500 sq.ft., designed in contemporary modern architecture as an independent house at three levels, including terrace. House of Silhouettes Reflects Contemporary Modern Architecture | Shaunak Singh and Associates This contemporary residence […]
Nestled in the upscale neighborhood of Naranpura, Ahmedabad, Visamo is a south-facing NRI bungalow that redefines luxury modern bungalow design through a seamless blend of contemporary architecture and biophilic design. Spanning a 7,330 sq. ft. plot with 10,000 sq. ft. of built-up area, this residence is a heartfelt homecoming for a young couple returning to […]
The client envisioned a quiet contemporary residence within the dense urban fabric—a contemporary home style that balances modern aesthetics with a lived-in warmth. Functionality, spatial fluidity, and a strong connection with nature were prioritized. The home was to accommodate a multigenerational family, enabling both communal and private moments without compromising on light, ventilation, or spatial […]
The Indian farmhouse accommodation goes on to capitalize on a mature evolutionary synthesis of ancestral aesthetics and contemporary features. With this, the outside and the inside of farmhouses became places of comfort with nature. In this blog, we delve into 15 incredible farmhouse designs that entail a harmonious blending. While they exhibit different spaces in […]
Aangan is a modern residence that seamlessly integrates with the lush environment of Kerala, showcasing a tropical home design. Designed to embrace the region’s warm climate, the house features a striking sloped terracotta roof at varying levels, enhancing both its aesthetic appeal and functional efficiency. The structure is enveloped in a vibrant tropical landscape, adorned […]
The door design for main door is a defining feature of any Indian home, embodying both style and cultural significance. In a country rich with diverse architectural traditions, the entrance to your home reflects not only personal taste but also cultural heritage. Whether you’re drawn to the intricate carvings of traditional Indian door designs or […]
Pillar design is a cornerstone of architectural elegance, seamlessly blending structural support with aesthetic appeal. Our blog, “50 Best Pillar Design Inspirations,” celebrates this essential element, showcasing a variety of styles from classical Doric and Ionic to contemporary and avant-garde innovations. Whether you’re an architect, interior designer, or a design enthusiast, these pillar design inspirations […]
This simple farmhouse design is a humble residence that responds to the climate and site. It is a fun fact that the house is both an inward and outward looking house at the same time. One of the USPs of the simple farmhouse design project would be that it connects well with the most playful […]