In a reaction against sterile learning environments, international architecture firm LAVA has completed Eco-Kindi, an environmentally conscious kindergarten in Vinh, Vietnam that encourages holistic learning through organically shaped architecture.

“It’s part of an education revolution,” says Chris Bosse, director at LAVA, which has partnered with Ho Chi Minh City–based interior design firm Module K on a new series of sustainably designed kindergartens focused on holistic learning. “If you want to create a better future, you have to start with the education of our children.”

To encourage discovery, curiosity, and interaction with nature, the architects crafted three semicircular buildings punctuated with circular windows of varying sizes framed in bold primary colors and surrounded by lush vegetation. Connected via Y-shaped footbridges, the three-story curved buildings are oriented for natural ventilation and optimal views of the adjacent Goong Lake.

“The design language—organic shapes, simple architectural lines, primary colors, different facades/windows coded by age—is all about growth,” says Bosse. The architect credits his belief in the power of architecture to shape young minds to his own childhood experiences growing up near Frei Otto’s experimental Institute for Lightweight Structures in Germany. “It’s child-friendly without being childish.”

The project was completed in just 12 months from the first meeting to final construction thanks to a close working relationship between all stakeholders, who met over a series of workshops in Vinh and Ho Chi Minh City. The architects divided the kindergarten into a trio of three-story buildings to match the relatively low-lying residential architecture that surrounds the site.

The architects referenced the five feng shui elements in their material selection and design, including earth via sand pits and earth mounds; water with the interactive fountain; fire through the Masterchef kitchen; metal in the playground equipment; and wood as seen in the landscaping and interiors.

The kindergarten’s nature-inspired design has also led to energy-saving benefits. Natural ventilation and daylighting reduce energy loads, while the plants on the roofs and terraces will grow over time to provide shade and cooling microclimates. Bosse adds that for the majority of the year, the school can stay naturally cool thanks to cross breezes from the lake.

“Education is the foundation of our society, and it should express itself this way,” explains Bosse. “The design is playful and organic at the same time, and it allows interaction inside and outside—between city scale and human scale.”

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: LAVA / @lavarchitects and Module K

Builder/General Contractor: Minh Sang Viet Joint Stock Company

Interior Design: Viet Décor

Educational Consultant: Great Concept Vietnam Mai Nhung