CHILDREN'S UNIVERSITY

The aim behind the design of Polaris Children university is to create a unique and engaging building-user relationship. It also provides a program where children develop healthy routines that decrease stress and allow maximum freedom for children to discover their potential and enhance their relationships with the surrounding environment. Also, it prepares them for their future by experiencing and discovering university life and the natural environment.
Since the best learning environment for children at this age is nature, the building's layout was planned to support children’s self-learning and integrated both indoors and outdoors spaces to provide different learning activities. This layout consists of various natural elements, including sand, mounds, and trees.
When it comes to the form, it is oriented according to pedestrian circulation and the sun direction in the site. From the main street sides, the building was designed with rational and simple geometry; to respect the alignment of the neighborhood. However, the interior sides were designed using organic and playful shapes that blend nature with the interior seamlessly.
The university is divided into some volumes; each volume has a certain function. However, they are all connected through some exterior and interior axis. The spaces created by the interaction of forms provide a spatial experience for the kids; by creating in-between spaces which allow the kids to interact with them through a learning experience journey. Furthermore, since high ceilings stimulate the sense of exploration and encouraging creative thinking, some areas like the library and activity rooms were elevated to have different effects on how children perceive the spaces.
Moreover, the building was covered by an interactive green roof.  It serves for absorbing rainwater, providing insulation, decreasing the stress of the people around it by providing a more aesthetically pleasing landscape, and helping to lower urban air temperatures and mitigate the heat island effect.
Personally, I believe children should not only be provided with valuable studying space, but they should interact with the building as a whole. They should experience the material and form. For that reason, the material chosen for the exterior facade is light bare concrete, which allows the children to explore its raw materials and trigger their imagination. Furthermore, to have a closer experience with the facade and materials, outdoor stairs leading to the second floor were designed.
Overall, the design is a reflection of the children's characteristics and behavior. It triggers their interactive learning skills and allows them to utilize their maximum potential. With the help of natural elements and organic shapes, a place for curiosity and inquisitive minds is created.