Trends of architectural and planning structure of children's preschool institutions in modern conditions
Authors: Zaremba Daryna , Silnyk Oleksandra 
Published: May 2024

In the conditions of a large-scale war in Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, the problem of protecting the population has become urgent. This problem is considered both in the context of housing and businesses that continue to operate. In order to improve the level of safety and comfort, it is important to evaluate the architectural and planning features of existing preschools, to determine the nomenclature of the necessary premises and the possibilities of their arrangement. At this stage, the question arises regarding their improvement and development in accordance with modern achievements of pedagogy, levels of safety and accessibility from the point of view of inclusion. The list of existing standards that can be operated by an architect during the design of preschool institutions is minimal and is supplemented every year with new standards that meet the needs of society. It is necessary not only to provide children with spaces for physical and psychological safety, but also to pay special attention to the filling and zoning of such spaces so that current realities do not prevent children from developing and learning safely. To solve such tasks, it is necessary to analyze the real state of preschool institutions and find directions for their renovation. The reform of preschool education in Ukraine includes a number of measures that will in some way affect the structure of kindergarten buildings in the future. A flexible system of preschool education provides for the creation of different groups in kindergartens: advisory, outing, seasonal, partial weekend, etc. Such a list of options for preschool training will consistently affect the selection of rooms in kindergartens. It will be appropriate to review the number of group cells, the location of the entrances to them, create a room with additional functions, and also take care of a barrier-free space. Examples of additional rooms: salt rooms, psychological relief rooms (sensory rooms), shelters and bomb shelters. Such initiatives contribute to the improvement of psychological well-being and preservation of children's nervous system, solve the issue of children's safety during their stay in kindergartens. In modern projects of preschool institutions, special rooms are already being created that were not relevant before, however, such innovations are rare and their arrangement does not yet have clear requirements. The relevance in the design of shelters, sensory and salt rooms cannot be doubted. The value of rehabilitation spaces in children's institutions grows every year and acquires a new meaning. The use of the additional facilities mentioned in the article allows children to be rehabilitated and to improve their sense of security, easy adaptation to the changes that are happening around them. Such proposals contribute to the preservation of the children's nervous system, which is an important factor in full-fledged development. An analysis of the planning solution of existing kindergartens confirms the need to implement a number of measures regarding their renovation, which are aimed at creating additional functional areas by reducing the number of group cells, replanning and arranging the basement floors, addressing opportunities for creating a barrier-free space on the territory for parents with inclusiveness. Also important are issues related to the solution of strengthening basement floors, equipment of additional ventilation ducts, review of vertical communications - stair-elevator units, evacuation stairs, arrangement of new premises within the existing structure, completion of additional floors.