Located in the southern city of Bosa, the “Playtime” Kindergarten and Social Welfare Center has become a landmark project, emerging as the city’s new educational hub.
Set on a narrow site’s corner, the building takes on a fragmented form. A small plaza connects the kindergarten with the urban fabric, serving as the main entrance to the garden and remaining open to the community. This plaza also functions as an integrated learning and conference center within the environment.
The structure is aligned along the central axis of pedestrian flow, cutting horizontally through the block housing the kindergarten and social welfare center. This spatial organization links and clearly defines the learning areas dedicated to training activities.
The pedestrian flow is articulated through a sequence of courtyards, terraces, and extended spaces. Elevated areas, indoor balconies, ramps, and stairs interconnect the buildings, fostering communication and control between users and institutional instructors. This arrangement creates a micro-landscape within the building, enriching course diversity and supporting varied teaching approaches.
The kindergarten and social welfare center were developed in two initial phases. Most public spaces are housed in a third building, ensuring direct access from the main entrance, while private areas like bedrooms face the park.
On the ground floor, public spaces including classrooms, kitchen, and dining areas open onto the courtyard and communal spaces. This layout supports various extracurricular activities, strengthening the connection between the center and the community. Additionally, the daycare and accessible routes for young children are located on this floor, which also serves as a primary evacuation zone.
The second floor offers flexible classroom and teaching environments within open-plan spaces. Transparent and light materials foster spatial continuity, while sliding and folding doors enable seamless flow between areas and the outdoors, enhancing usability and connection with the environment. The largest bedroom, part of the CBS training center, is located on the third floor with direct access to the western park.
The building’s structural design emphasizes simplicity and reliability, utilizing local techniques and materials to ensure functionality and long-term durability.
The ‘Playtime’ Kindergarten actively engages with its urban context in a continuous and welcoming manner, contributing positively to the city’s fabric. Its design encourages activities and collaborative learning on various scales by seamlessly connecting indoor spaces with outdoor and social areas, thereby enhancing educational outcomes.
Project Drawings
△ General Layout Plan
△ First Floor Plan
△ Second Floor Plan
△ Third Floor Plan
△ Fourth Floor Plan
△ Elevation Drawing
△ Elevation Drawing
△ Section Diagram
△ Section Diagram
△ Exploded Diagram
△ Streamline Analysis Diagram
△ Analysis Chart
△ Analysis Chart
△ Structural Detail Drawing
Project Information
Architect: DARP
Area: 5,013 m²
Year: 2019
Photographers: Mauricio Carvajal, Sergio Gómez
Manufacturers: Hunter Douglas, Alfa, Argos, Gerflor, Ladrillera Santafé, Louis Poulsen
Lead Architects: Jaime Cabal, Jorge Buitrago
Design Team: Juan Portillo, Milena Jaramillo, David Carmona, José David Gómez, Astrid González, Pamela Pérez, Daniel Veenstra, Leonardo Correa, Jenyfer Botero, Sebastián Morillo
Client: Secretary of Social Integration
Engineer: CNI Ingenieros
Landscape Design: DARP
Partners: SISTEC Integrated Energy and Technology Systems S.A.S.
Location: Colombia
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