“Parque Vila Velha” For Children

The design objective was to create an environment for living and learning so that these children's educational concerns could be solved. The streets are unsafe for the children, and working in these spaces would bring them many challenges and damages. Therefore, some solutions should have been proposed for their situation. In the present design, attention to the child and his/her curious spirit have been prioritized. Consequently, the design approach moves towards organic design and fostering children's creativity. Also, to provide a safe environment with the feeling of a different natural atmosphere, all of the safety tips have been considered according to the ages of this building users. Generally, this complex's design could be considered an environment for a place of playing, learning, and healthy life.

Design process

The site has been located in the Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil; one of the tourist attractions of this area is "Parque Vila Velha", which is considered as a pattern in design of the present complex, as well as the name of this complex which has been taken from this place. Of course, regarding this point that the primary users of this complex are children, the design moves towards the places specific to this age range. Since the climate of this region is hot and humid, the most important issue in the design of the building is to reduce humidity and increase ventilation. Therefore, in order to increase the airflow, this building was designed in double-skin shells. Also, the location of the masses in this natural area is such that it helps the airflow by creating gaps, which was the beginning of the formation of the initial idea for the final volume.

Design description

Three volumetric volumes are placed on the site: One of the volumes, as a volumetric element, defines the entrance of the site by creating a gap and induces a sense of invitation. In order to differentiate the requested spaces of this building, the spaces are divided into two buildings, which leads to better services to users. These two volumes, separately but in coordination with each other, include residential and educational functions. Volumes are seen from the outside as a single volume protruding from the ground. Movement and circulation paths are defined in a way that responds to children's sense of curiosity and excitement. The curvature of the walls and the general lines of the design reduce the uniformity of the space and give different views and perspectives to the user. The effect of these lines can also be seen in the interior. The volume is designed as a double-skin shell to moderate the climatic conditions of the region and the gap between the shells and the volumes cause humid air ventilation.