For this new nursery, the city selected a strategically positioned site—where established residential neighbourhoods meet planned new development. To the south lies protected orchard land; east and west will soon be framed by new construction. The gently sloping terrain, once agricultural, now hosts a building that commands attention. Designed by Dauner Rommel Schalk Architects, this sculptural form deliberately distinguishes itself from its surroundings, asserting its role as the neighbourhood's gathering place. The building extends an inviting gesture toward the street corner, its generous cantilevered canopy creating a sheltered, slightly elevated entry. Its solid outer shell wraps three sides of the site, framing an intimate green courtyard that opens south toward the orchards.

All children's activity spaces—save the rest rooms—face south, opening onto outdoor areas. Infants occupy the ground floor with direct garden access; older children's classrooms sit upstairs. The multi-purpose room bridges the entrance and garden, and when partition walls open, it transforms into a generous play and event space. Service areas line the north, directly accessible from the foyer. The central staircase, with its generous treads, turns the everyday climb into an engaging journey. Outside, a double-shell exposed concrete envelope with integrated insulation elegantly absorbs the site's natural slope. Inside, slender steel columns—concealed within the partition system—allow complete flexibility for future adaptation. Ground-floor windows and rest rooms gain privacy through custom-perforated aluminium screens with floral patterns. Here's where the design philosophy comes alive: while the exterior presents solid concrete, every space where children gather wraps them in warm wood panelling and coloured rubber flooring. The result is striking in its contrast—a tough exterior that shelters a genuinely inviting interior.

www.daunerrommelschalk.de

Photography Credits:

Julian Bauer
www.julianbauer.de
Tilman Schalk

(Published in CUBE Stuttgart 01|24)