Fantails Estate Dairy Flat Childhood Centre
The Fantails Estate Early childhood centre is set over 3½ hectares of land, catering for 154 children ranging from babies to pre-schoolers. Framed by paddocks, animals, and trees, this early learning centre strikes a balance between state-of-the-art, modern educational spaces and sits sensitively within its rural New Zealand context.  The site presented a shared vision of a unique ?luxury lodge? for children. Our team at Collingridge and Smith Architects (UK) implemented the balanced blend of functionality, aesthetics, and environmental sustainability into the project.
At the end of a winding, estate-like driveways, the centre sits as six individual blocks fanned out around a striking geometric timber canopy. The six blocks comprise of five individual classrooms, and a more private staff block including kitchen, laundry, and administrative spaces. Canopies in this project create all-weather play spaces, allowing the building to open up to the outdoors and remain naturally ventilated for most of the year. Photography by © Mark Scowen
Internally, each classroom has a north-facing outlook to the large playground and the countryside setting, providing children with seven times the minimum area for outdoor play, giving each child approximately 52m2 of individual play space. The deep canopies are covered with polycarbonate roofing, minimizing excess heat and glare from the sun. The sizing of each block is so that daylighting and nat...