Text description provided by the architects. Lustigkulla is a new preschool built with passive house standard that consists of eight departments that opened January 2018 in Alsike, Knivsta municipality. The pedagogical learning environments in the preschool are designed with the aim of allowing exploration and creativity, starting from the children’s perspective. The preschool has science as the main theme and the educators will be based on the children’s thoughts and move on through to problem-solving and exploratory working methods.

Floor Plan 2. Image Courtesy of Arkitema Architects

The building is planned based on a pedagogical idea of different sections organized around a common core with studios and a food square. Each studio is accessible to the entire preschool and has its own theme for use in different ways in the daily educational activities. Each residence has its own entrance with generous wooden balconies for the children to have their rest outdoors. The food square is much more than a canteen, it also becomes a meeting place with a conservatory where the children can grow vegetables and spices while having views into the kitchen where the food is cooked. There is also a food studio with a small kitchen for cooking and baking with the children.

The building is internationally certified as a passive house according to iPHA. The house is energy-efficient and well-insulated and thus heated by the energy already in the house, which contributes to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. The house consumes up to 70% less energy compared to a traditionally built house and has a very comfortable indoor climate. A display in the conservatory will show the house’s daily energy consumption for the preschool.

Alsike is an area where the municipality is currently building new residential areas, commerce, sports hall, school, and preschool.

© Philipp Gallon

• Architects

  Arkitema Architects

• Location

  Brunnbyvagen 114, 741 46 Knivsta, Sweden

• Category

  Kindergarten

• Lead Architect

  Britta Forestier

• Design Team

  Dennis Eriksson, Matthias Vukovich, Gabriella Klint

• Other Collaborators

  Simone Kreutzer, IG Passivhus Sverige AB

• Area

  1900.0 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Philipp Gallon