The design of a kindergarten features spaces encouraging curiosity, activity-based learning and interaction with nature for the next generation of Vietnamese children.

The kindergarten near Hanoi, Vietnam, unfolds with three semi-circular buildings over three levels linked by bridges generating a series of interconnected indoor and outdoor spaces that are playful and safe while making an architectural statement. The series of buildings form three courtyards with a forest in between, with breezes from the adjacent lake adding to the natural experience.

The design language - organic shapes, simple architectural lines, primary colours, different facades/windows coded by age – is all about growth. It’s child-friendly without being childish.

An education project for the future generation challenges us to question the ways we teach and learn. Rather than a sterile box with a teacher in front and kids in rows listening, LAVA created a learning environment where discovery, curiosity, interaction with nature and activity-based learning are encouraged to promote children's holistic development.

This vision is realised through a design based on nature and its structural geometries that inspires playful exploration of the world.

LAVA won Gold in the 2019 Sydney Design Awards for the Kindergarten under "Architecture - Public or Institutional" and a Commendation for Educational Architecture in the International Chapter Architecture Awards, AIA.