Despite being surrounded by a rich natural environment, YM Nursery, a former nursery in Yonago, Japan, was not using the full potential of nature to enrich the children’s learning. The new nursery’s design concept, ‘feel nature, grow sensitivity’ aimed to allow children to be able to feel, find and explore. Youji no Shiro incorporated the natural elements around the site inside the nursery, providing many textures to stimulate the children and to increase their awareness of what lay outside the door. They focused on local natural resources to ensure the materials were meaningful for the children, whilst local and reusable materials were used to teach the children about where they live and how to take care of things.
Complementing the existing Allen Center, the University of Washington’s Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering represents the future of computer science at the university and across the region. Departing from the minimalist building typology popularized by the tech industry, the Gates Center offers a warm, welcoming and comfortable environment for students, researchers and faculty. At the heart of the building, a large central atrium and signature open stairs provide visual and physical connections to all floors and act as the school’s cultural hub.
Inspired by the gracefulness of birds in flight, the Student Union building at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is an expression of its mission to teach the science, practice and business of aviation and aerospace. Located at the front door to the campus, the building’s gently-soaring form expressing flight creates an iconic identity for the university and embodies its student’s values of fearlessness, adventure and discovery.
The Hangzhou Haishu School of Future Sci-Tech City incorporating a kindergarten and a primary school, which is located in Hangzhou, China. The architecture and interior design are inspired by a child’s drawing that depicts his ideal school which is like a small town full of small scale spaces and “happy” streets. Based on this inspiration, the 28,000 sqm campus was divided into 15 much smaller scale gabled volume, the scale of which gradually increases according to the growth of children’s age.
The World Architecture News Awards showcase the best international design in both current and future projects. All 2019 entries can be seen here.