construction of a nursery, a creche and an auxiliary childcare unit, saillon, competition

project owner:

municipality of saillon

programme:

creche, nursery, auxiliary childcare unit, dining rooms, relaxation rooms, activity rooms, changing rooms, sports court, central patio, utility rooms

dates:

competition 2020

location

the project proposes an overall upgrading of the site, with a redevelopment of the external spaces and the independent establishment of the new building with respect to the saillon school campus.

the project makes the site easily understandable. located between the existing complex and the new building, there is an entrance courtyard, a reception area that provides access to all the facilities, including the new saillon nursery, crèche and auxiliary childcare unit .at the rear of the site. below the old village, there is the sports area, a multifunctional space, which, thanks to the new layout, is set back from the main thoroughfare of the avenue des comptes de savoie. finally, to the north-east of the new facility there is a large orchard, a space expressed in its basic form, which reflects the site's agricultural nature.

thus, by placing the existing buildings in dialogue with the new building, the project clearly marks the ranking of all these spaces.

the new nursery, crèche and day nursery is designed to fit as well as possible into the vast landscape by capitalising on the site's characteristics. the ground floor is entirely glazed in order to emphasize the visually horizontal nature of the site and to create an imperceptible boundary between what is inside and outside. conversely, the upper floor is more inward-looking. visual openings provide precise views of the surrounding landscape. in addition, a patio and a double ceiling bring light into the heart of the new building.

organisation

The programme is laid out over two floors. The ground floor is entirely devoted to the crèche, with two staircases leading up to the nursery, the auxiliary childcare unit and the common areas. this means that the crèche is directly linked to the outside courtyards, while the auxiliary childcare unit has its own outdoor space set back in the orchard, and the nursery has an open-air patio in the heart of the building.

on the ground floor, under the overhang to the south-west of the building, 3 separate entrances lead to the creche's reception and cloakroom. the central core is made up of all the functional rooms, allowing the living areas, activity rooms, dining rooms and sleeping rooms to spread out. particular attention is paid to the communal double height kitchen, a warm and friendly central place with a large overhead skylight.

on the first floor, the auxiliary childcare unit is accessed via the same double height and leads to its cloakroom and the nursery. unlike the ground floor, all the functional areas are pushed into the depth of the façade in order to completely free up the central space. the fluid plan allows for playful transitions. the day nursery's dining rooms benefit from the same overhead skylight. the activity rooms, for their part, are positioned in such a way that the fine views over the medieval site are framed. the outdoor space for the nursery is located in a central patio. the entire living area benefits from natural light. the common areas for the staff and management are strategically located in the southern part, linked to the entrance courtyard in the school complex. the basement is dedicated solely to the new facility's utility rooms.

construction

the project starting point is the dichotomy in its design between total transparency on the ground floor and, on the contrary, a massive belt on the upper floor. the ground floor is composed of a central core built in concrete and light facades that are entirely glazed. the floor is supported by this concrete centre and by a set of metal posts set back from the glazed facade. on the upper floor, the occupied facades are made of form-worked concrete, and accommodate the programmes and the openings within their entire structure.

this contrast is also reflected in the interior materials. on the ground floor, around the perimeter of the central core the floor is similar to the exterior floor for continuity purposes. inside the concrete core, all the walls are clad and furnished in pine. the coloured linoleum on the floor underlines the playful, friendly atmosphere desired. on the first floor, there is a contrast between the exterior facade in unfinished concrete and the interior, which is also finished in wood and coloured lino.