Kindergarten Extension in Langen by MWArchitekten: Innovative Educational Spaces

Located in Langen bei Bregenz, Austria, the Kindergarten Extension Langen by MWArchitekten represents a thoughtful fusion of adaptive reuse, contemporary educational design, and child-centered architecture. Completed in 2023, this 200 m² expansion transforms the existing community premises into a functional and light-filled kindergarten environment, responding to modern pedagogical needs and community integration.

Thoughtful Renovation and Extension

The project is a conversion and renovation of the existing community facilities, with the extension seamlessly integrated beneath the current kindergarten. By incorporating a south-facing outdoor connection, the design fosters a natural interaction between indoor learning spaces and outdoor play areas, encouraging exploration and connection with the environment.

Open and Flexible Interior Design

The kindergarten’s interior emphasizes openness and flexibility. Group rooms are extended westward onto municipal land, while generous glass facades maximize daylight and provide transparency, creating a cohesive kindergarten cluster that enhances supervision and interaction. The team room adopts an open-plan layout, promoting collaboration among staff.

To adapt to contemporary staffing structures, the interior includes mobile workstations and a shared coworking table. Children’s recreation areas are positioned along the façade facing natural surroundings, blending play, learning, and nature.

Acoustic and Sensory Design

Attention to acoustics and comfort is central to the project. An acoustic ceiling crafted from untreated wood panels, combined with an organic floor bellows, creates a warm, inviting atmosphere with optimal sound quality. These materials contribute to a sustainable and sensory-friendly environment, enhancing children’s well-being and concentration.

Architecture That Connects Community and Nature

MWArchitekten’s design emphasizes integration with the local context, ensuring that the kindergarten extension remains part of the community while providing a safe, stimulating, and modern learning environment for children. Large openings and visual transparency allow for continuous interaction between indoor and outdoor spaces, reinforcing the connection to the surrounding natural landscape.

The Kindergarten Extension Langen is a prime example of educational architecture that prioritizes child development, staff flexibility, and environmental consciousness, all within a compact, thoughtfully designed footprint.

All photographs are works of  Adolf Bereuter, Dornbirn