Viet Thanh Nguyen

Masterplanning. Urban Design. Architecture.

Woodland Nursery, Public Sector, Surrey

July 2022

The nursery scheme had several iterations before arriving at the final design. It was initially intended to accommodate 3 no. playrooms with 26 no. pupils each, totalling 78 no. pupils. Some options explored the provision of a courtyard and a more linear layout for immediate access to outdoor play areas, or the provision of a mezzanine level to reduce the building footprint.

The final scheme will actually provide 4 no. playrooms for up to 77 no. pupils and there will be no mezzanine floor. There will be 1 no. playroom for babies and toddlers, 1 no. playroom for the 2 to 3 years old, and 2 no. playrooms for the 3 to 4 years old. Each playroom will have direct access to a quiet room, store room, toilets and changing facilities that meet the area requirements. The playroom for babies and toddlers will have an additional milk kitchen. The floorplan will be compact without a courtyard, however pupils will still be able to directly access the covered play area via double doors in each playroom. The playrooms were designed with a child’s needs in mind with maximum views across, low windows and wall space for child level display boards. The glazed area will be maximised on the northern side to bring the playrooms closer to the tranquil woodland.

The building entrance will be to the south where the roof will be extended to form a columned portico. The portico will act like a waiting area for child pick-ups and buggy parking space. The lobby will be glazed externally to invite in views and light. On either side of the lobby, there will be a kitchen with a serving hatch opening to the corridor, and an office with 3 no. workstations, including the manager’s desk. Beyond the lobby is the main corridor naturally lit by 3 no. rooflights. It leads to the playrooms, a 12 seat meeting room, a staffroom with lockers and a kitchenette, a laundry, a disabled toilet, a staff toilet, a general store, and a cleaner’s store.

The primary structure, including the roof, will be CLT, and the external walls will be clad in metal sheets or render finishes. The roofscape was selected from several iterations to achieve appropriate ceiling heights and a sensitive response to the woodland context. The roof will also be extended to the west and the north and lined with timber columns, with the northern columns being slanted, to create the covered play areas.

The landscape typologies will provide a variety of outdoor turfed area, hard area, equipped play area, sand pits, covered play area, and potentially a forestry school. The landscape provision will meet the required standards. There will also be provision for an external store and a bin store.