Mini-nursery, Tatabánya-Felsőgalla

Architects: László Román, Zsuzsanna Nagy
Text: Miklós Okrutay
Photos: Dorka Gyepes

Public education buildings are a remarkably successful area of contemporary Hungarian architecture, with kindergartens and nurseries leading the way and winning awards one after another. The reason for this may lie in the design programme: despite the relatively small scales and proportions, the need for playfulness expected in a world intended for children can unleash the designers’ creativity. The mini-nursery built in Tatabánya-Felsőgalla further enriches this series of buildings. The kindergarten was built behind the old school building next to the Catholic church, and the new nursery was constructed right next to it. The fact that it is built right up to the boundary of the plot may be interpreted as a natural commitment to blending in with the environment, but at the same time, the design of the street façade, its proportions and openings, and above all, the use of strong basic colors are already tools for finding its own way. The interior space offers the liberating experience of spaciousness: the longitudinal walls open up towards the interior of the site, significantly expanding the floor plan area of the two activity rooms. The unique configuration is matched by a unique mass-formation, not least thanks to the progressive forms of the roof structure.

Client: Municipality of Tatabánya
Architecture: LEN Architects
Lead architects: László Román, Zsuzsanna Nagy
Fellow architects: Dániel Burda, Martin Kovács, Piroska Varga
Interiors: Zsuzsanna Nagy
Structure: Csaba Károly – Libra Plan
HVAC: Tibor Sándor Kovács
Electrical engineering: Róbert Galambos – Elektromentor
Landscape: Eszter Szabó
Roads: Bence Szántósi
Public utilities: Tibor Sándor Kovács
Fire protection: Zsolt Fenyvesi – F.S.Z. Engineers