Project value: £520,000

Status: Completed

Client: Solihul Metropolitan Borough Council

This new nursery is located on the existing site of Bosworth Wood Junior & Infant School in Smiths Wood, Solihull within a residential area in common with the site at Hawkesbury Village. We saw the opportunity in this brief to inject some complexity into the uniform suburban landscape of the estate.

The new nursery sits along side a major route through the estate and has become a prominent node in the landscape since its completion in December 2005. The positioning of the nursery within the boundary of the school site has allowed the school to become a hub for the community providing a connection between education and community needs.

The simplicity of the building is key its aesthetic, with the rationality of the plan central to understanding the overall concept. The simplicity of the children's spaces allows for transformation and flexibility of use, depending on the activities taking place. The building embraces multifunctionality in its arrangement and in its environmental character.

On plan the main circulation area runs down the centre of the building connecting the entrance to a covered play area at the rear, it has been made wider than usual and acts as focal space or piazza at the heart of the building, with the children's and community spaces all accessed off it through large glazed screens that connect the spaces.

Externally, timber cladding has been juxtaposed with render to create a warm yet contemporary aesthetic, with coloured panels placed strategically within the elevation to highlight certain key elements.

"Connection with the outside is an important aspect of our design, as it allows the children to experience the natural rhythms of their environment; the changes of the seasons and the weather, and the movement of the sun and shadows".