Chrysalis Childcare Centre by Collingridge and Smith Architects
Channel: A As Architecture
Date: 2018-12-13

Our brief was to create a unique and innovative childcare centre capturing the cultural and spiritual values of the area. Our starting point was the site itself which presented both the problem and the solution: the trees. One is an English Oak tree, the other a native Pohutakawa, both of equal size and stature, standing side by side, their branches touching at the heart of the site. 

This symbolism forms the basis for the whakapapa of the site and its new use: a bi-cultural (and multicultural) childcare centre. In the traditional Maori view, the trees also represent Tane who separated Rangi and Papa to create the world (of light). The design draws on this by creating a ‘void’ or space around the trees, which separates out the various elements of the new centre and provides a protective enclosure around the root zone. 

The building represents Papa (earth mother) who was locked in a tight embrace with Rangi (sky father), and so the graceful curve of the building appears like two arms reaching out to the sky. The elevational form further enhances this effect by keeping a respectful height below the trees, allowing good views of them from the wider environment. Further symbolism can be found throughout the design, the most striking being the sail forms around the outer curve of the building. Source by Collingridge and Smith Architects. Info project https://goo.gl/dqxrVv

A As Architecture - Discover Architecture

http://aasarchitecture.com/