Vietnam. An acrobatic kindergarten made of bricks

The Vietnamese architecture firm Kientruc O designed a kindergarten in Ho Chi Minh City characterized by piled-up sharp brick volumes, with cantilevers and ramps connecting them. These vertical connections offer the chance for the children and the school community to explore the spaces through a vertical promenade architecturale. This path brings to the rooftop of the building, which overlooks of the Saigon river.

The building is located in a 400 sqm plot, amid a lush vegetation from which it pops out. The aim of the design is to nourish the children’s curiosity. The brick walls containing the spaces of the kindergarten are characterised by a dissolving gradient from top to floor: while on top of the building the brick-wall is solid and continuous to protect from the sun and the heat, becoming more and more perforated to ensure ventilation and the vibrant light that permeates the box-like volumes of the building. The interiors alternate bare brick walls and bright yellow plaster, combined with wooden flooring and wired metal railings.