Sparkletots Large Preschool at Punggol departs from conventional childcare centre in
Singapore which are enclosed and located under public housing blocks. What led to
its unusual stand-alone design?
Matthew Yeo (MY): The government had recognised the
shortfall of childcare facilities, specifically in housing estates such as
Punggol and Sengkang. In order to rapidly create more places, it planned for the
development of mega childcare centres such as Sparkletots Large Preschool at
Punggol, which can hold up to 1,000 children.
In comparison, the typical void deck childcare centres have a capacity of
approximately 100 or less. These spaces are often limited by the footprint of the
residential blocks and their existing columns. Outdoor play spaces are usually
shared with the public playgrounds and play areas adjacent to the centres. One
aspect that resonated with us was the client’s vision for the centre to be connected
to nature, with an emphasis on experiential learning and play outside the
classrooms.
Ho Tzu Yin (HTY): Realising there was no comparable reference locally and overseas
freed us to explore the potential of a mega childcare centre. We started by asking
ourselves, what makes a great childcare centre? This project gave us the opportunity
to create an ideal childhood educational space from scratch. The new centre would
also benefit from the economies of scale by consolidating facilities and play
spaces. The other main design driver was our understanding and interpretation of
early childhood pedagogy gleaned from workshops with our client. We wanted to create
classrooms and play spaces that would support the teaching methods of the educators.
How does your design address the safety and security of the students while providing
a conducive learning environment?
HTY: The clear demarcation of zones was a key consideration. For a centre with 1,000
children, we expected high vehicular traffic during the morning peak hours. In fact,
the circular geometry was our answer to ensuring a smooth traffic flow with minimal
congestion. A circular driveway eliminates sharp turns and dead-end situations.
Additionally, the entire perimeter serves as a drop-off and pick-up point.
Another major concern was the outbreak of diseases like the hand, foot and mouth
disease. Our design had to be able to minimise cross-infections during an outbreak.
This influenced the arrangement of the classrooms which we divided into sectors that
can be accessed from different entry points. When needed, individual sectors can be
closed-off without affecting the rest of the centre’s operation. In hindsight, this
arrangement will continue to work well in the post-COVID era.
MY: We recognised that play spaces are particularly important for children and they
would be spending a significant amount of time exploring them. A key planning
consideration was to allow effective adult supervision and to promote interaction
among the children.
As the centre’s 40 m diameter can be intimidating for young children, we designed the
three-point bridge to reduce the scale and to create a central play area with varied
cosy spaces. The bridge connects directly to each classroom sector, while below it
are shared facilities such as the multi-purpose hall, culinary room, music/gym room
and art room.