The colour design of the Kekec Kindergarten is based on its colourful wooden lamella façade: the lamellas serve both as a toy and window blinds. The lamellas are coloured in different hues, but only on one side so the children can change the outer appearance of the kindergarten by rotating the blinds. In this way, the façade can change in a chameleon style and be rotated to a uniform wood colour or to numerous lively colour patterns. The didactic façade helps children get acquainted with colours, numbers and improves their memory. In addition, the children develop coordination between hands and eyes as well as their motoric abilities and emotional intelligence in a playful manner.
The architectural design of the Kekec kindergarten has also convinced the jury who shortlisted our project among 79 international competing projects submitted in the Colour category – also by famous architects. Jury member Paul Monaghan praised the Kekec Kindergarten with the following words: “The Kekec kindergarten is inspiring and can be used as a toy – a special distinction. The project is not just about colour design, but also about rationality.” Architect Jure Kotnik emphasizes that even in Slovenia a high-quality and functional kindergarten can be built from environment-friendly materials, within a context of limited financial resources.
Kekec kindergarten shortlisted for the WAN Award in the “Colour” category
At the initiative of the Slovenian Foreign Ministry and in cooperation with the Bigbox company, we have built a house in the town of Higashimatsushima to improve the poor residential conditions in the region affected by the tsunami. We are proud to have been able to share our knowledge and experience to the benefit of Japan, whose east coast was hit by a huge natural disaster.
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The colourful Kekec kindergarten in Ljubljana built by Riko Hiše has been shortlisted for the World Architecture News (WAN) Award. The WAN Awards enjoy a worldwide reputation and are given each year in London. This year, 846 applications from 51 countries were submitted and evaluated in twelve different categories – of which four interior design categories - by an international jury. The Kekec kindergarten applied in the “Colour” category that has been included for the first time. The evaluation criteria were originality, innovation, natural sustainability and the broader context in which colours are used.
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