The Brief: Design an access-all-areas centre for children’s extra-curricular activities.
The Challenge: To ensure disabled children have access everywhere, both inside and out.
The Project: In a redevelopment area of Milan, we were tasked with designing a children’s centre with a school library design that worked architecturally with the old buildings and the new. To add a burst of life into the area, we decided on an asymmetric building with a vibrant roof shaped like a paper aeroplane. It gives the impression it has been thrown down from the lofty buildings nearby, making the pavilion instantly recognisable.
The two-storey centre has wheelchair access to the surrounding park on both levels. The ground floor doors open directly onto the garden while the first floor has access along a wheelchair ramp. Inside, there are three classrooms, a school library design, a reception area, cinema room, family meeting area and a multi-purpose space.
The classroom partitions are made from silk-screen Plexiglas to ensure there is enough light while adding privacy. For easy-to-clean and durable flooring, we chose a coloured PVC, and outside the school library, designed for comfortable reading, are seats and fountains.
The result is an exciting children’s centre with a school library, designed for able and less-able-bodied children.
