Lustigkulla Preschool / Arkitema Architects

Architects: Arkitema Architects
Location: Brunnbyvägen 114, 741 46 Knivsta, Sweden
Lead Architect: Britta Forestier
Design Team: Dennis Eriksson, Matthias Vukovich, Gabriella Klint
Other Collaborators: Simone Kreutzer, IG Passivhus Sverige AB
Area: 1900.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Philipp Gallon

Text description provided by the architects. Lustigkulla is a new preschool built with passive house standard that consists of eight departments that opened January 2018 in Alsike, Knivsta municipality. The pedagogical learning environments in the preschool are designed with the aim of allowing exploration and creativity, starting from the children’s perspective. The preschool has science as the main theme and the educators will be based on the children’s thoughts and move on through to problem-solving and exploratory working methods.

Floor Plan 2. Image Courtesy of Arkitema Architects

The building is planned based on a pedagogical idea of different sections organized around a common core with studios and a food square. Each studio is accessible to the entire preschool and has its own theme for use in different ways in the daily educational activities. Each residence has its own entrance with generous wooden balconies for the children to have their rest outdoors. The food square is much more than a canteen, it also becomes a meeting place with a conservatory where the children can grow vegetables and spices while having views into the kitchen where the food is cooked. There is also a food studio with a small kitchen for cooking and baking with the children.

The building is internationally certified as a passive house according to iPHA. The house is energy-efficient and well-insulated and thus heated by the energy already in the house, which contributes to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. The house consumes up to 70% less energy compared to a traditionally built house and has a very comfortable indoor climate. A display in the conservatory will show the house’s daily energy consumption for the preschool.