Nowadays, we are living in the era of climate change, we see it and what more – we feel it every day. Children learn about it in schools, even in kindergartens. They are taught what people seem to forget: How to coexist with nature. Teachers want to encourage their pupils to have a positive relationship to natural materials and sustainable way of life. The first and maybe the most important step is the class or the school building itself. It could be very easy, just to add some timber panelling instead of walls and ceilings, and wooden furniture instead of plastic tables and chairs. According to studies natural materials have positive effect on people and their concentration, so it is exactly what the children need. They must be able to focus to learn something new. But the timber in their classroom provides something more, it shows them how it feels to live in sustainable structure.
“Timber for schools!”
Architects from Austrian studio feld72, who have built a stunning timber-clad kindergarten located in the small village of Valdaora di Sotto in South Tyrol, regard these kinds of design as „an embracing gestures between tradition and modernity“, between our past, present and future.
HWZi with cooperation with Wood Student Foundation decided to support Ark Angels Educare and build a new Kindergarten in the informal Settlement of Overcome Heights. The structure was built with solid timber panels, fully sustainable. This wooden kindergarten is safe haven for children, it offers them not only education but also a new hope.
Timber-clad classroom in Czech Republic have for example Kindergarten and Elementary School Nucice, with unofficial motto: “Timber for schools!” the innovative project was finalized in 2017. The interiors of the inspiring school are almost completely wooden and sustainable, there are timber panelling on the walls and NOVATOP acoustic panels on the ceilings. Chairs and desks are also wooden.
School in the town Nucice is not the only one, which decide to rebuild itself in more modern and sustainable way. The similar project was realized for example in Kindergarten Dacice, several schools also use the NOVATOP acoustic panels in their music rooms and auditoriums.
The children are our future, for them to have successful future, we have to teach them everything we know and more. People used to live with nature in harmony and the schools and kindergartens have an amazing opportunity to teach that our children again.
