Children learn by playing, and they play with everything. The learning environment for children nowadays calls for a wonderland to explore and develop their senses in Play. In designing the new campus to accommodate 300 students in 8 classrooms, Hong Kong-based architects eureka focused on breaking down the boundaries between classroom and indoor play area for kids to explore freely as they wander around the kindergarten.

Designed as an indoor playground, PLAYWALL includes a netted, elevated climbing tunnel leading to a twisting tube slide, which whizzes children down into an open-plan, flexible classroom that can be navigated by bright yellow trikes. A telescope, speaking tube, viewing deck, and round bubble-like windows also offer children glimpses into other spaces. Eureka collaborated with play specialist Play Concept to devise the interactive structures and play-based experience for the children.

The approximately 1,200 square meter kindergarten is located on the ground and first floor of the podium of a residential tower in a busy urban setting, In spite of the 42m deep infill site with very limited access to external environment, the design sought to introduce a touch of warmness to the learning environment through the extensive use of timber and diffused ceiling features. The specially crafted ceiling in a water-drop shaped thin layer of PVC mesh is designed to generate uniform lighting quality.

PLAYWALL is not to isolate but to connect spaces. Children penetrate the PLAYWALL via different access, climbing, crawling, sliding, searching and discovering their kindergarten. The exploration journey provides physical play and mindful play to suit different types of children including climber, telescope, speaking tube, viewing deck, look out space and pocket platform. In thirty-six bays of timber structure, the PLAYWALL gives a sense of scale to the children.