Photo courtesy Lesley Unruh
Designed collaboratively by Barker Associates Architecture Office and 4|Mativ Design Studio, Mi Casita Preschool and Cultural Center focuses on being a ‘home away from home.’
Located in a new mixed-use development in Brooklyn, the program called for three classrooms to occupy a large space with 5-m (15-ft) ceilings on the ground floor of the building with a lower level for support programming. The space is organized around an L-shaped trough sink that becomes a social gathering spot and also functions as a bathroom sink.
Divisions between rooms are made with furniture to provide flexibility so the space can be transformed for special events including performances organized by the school’s artist-in-residence.
A focus on learning from the different cultures coexisting in Brooklyn led the designers to incorporate graphic elements relating to home and city in the design of the space.
A large house-shaped vitrine on the mezzanine will showcase seasonal displays relating to the curriculum. House-shaped cutouts in the walls provide child-sized reading nooks and passages through the space. A graphic in shades of pale blue in the tile mosaic around the bathroom and trough sink references the city skyline and is echoed as a linear element in the window treatment.
Color is used for dramatic effect throughout the space. Turquoise on the ceiling and light globes give the sense of being under a bright blue sky. Orange is used in cutouts in the walls and accent elements in the space. Orange-lined stairs lead down to the parent-co-working space.
