A Vivid, Curvaceous Kindergarten Takes Cues From Feng Shui in Vietnam
Natural materials, lush courtyards, and feng shui principles combine in the first of a series of eco kindergartens by LAVA and Module K.
Natural materials, lush courtyards, and feng shui principles combine in the first of a series of eco kindergartens by LAVA and Module K.
In a reaction against sterile learning environments, international architecture firm LAVA has completed Eco-Kindi, an environmentally conscious kindergarten in Vinh, Vietnam that encourages holistic learning through organically shaped architecture.
Eco Kindi is located next to a large lake in Vinh, an economic and cultural center in north-central Vietnam.
Hiroyuki Oki
"It’s part of an education revolution," says Chris Bosse, director at LAVA, which has partnered with Ho Chi Minh City–based interior design firm Module K on a new series of sustainably designed kindergartens focused on holistic learning. "If you want to create a better future, you have to start with the education of our children."
"This is a very big building for a kindergarten," says Bosse. "The kindergarten assumes a prominent position on the lake, like a town hall, a library, a sports center, or a major event space—and it is all of this."
Hiroyuki Oki
To encourage discovery, curiosity, and interaction with nature, the architects crafted three semicircular buildings punctuated with circular windows of varying sizes framed in bold primary colors and surrounded by lush vegetation. Connected via Y-shaped footbridges, the three-story curved buildings are oriented for natural ventilation and optimal views of the adjacent Goong Lake.
Built to accommodate 750 students, the school is currently owned and managed by Green Lani Academy, which caters to children from twelve months to six years of age.
Hiroyuki Oki
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