UPHS DALTA INTERNATIONAL PLAYSCHOOL
CALAMBA, LAGUNA
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
 To provide a playschool with international design standards
 To establish a learning hub that is abreast with today’s technology
 To create a learning environment that seeks to harness the full
potential of the child
DESIGN OBJECTIVES
 To design a learning facility that enhances child creativity and foster
interaction among its students
 To design a structure that is totally responsive to the environment
 To design a green school that meets LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design)
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
 Life and Safety
 Security
 Energy Efficiency
 Green Architecture
 Sustainability
CASE STUDY OF:
Royell D. Albino
Bachelor of Science in Architecture
First Year
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Hardscapes - refers to hard landscape materials in the built environment
structures that are incorporated into a landscape.
Thermal Mass - is the ability of a material to absorb, store and release
heat.
Solar Energy - is any type of energy generated by the sun. Solar energy
can be harnessed directly or indirectly for human use.
CO2 - Carbon Dioxide
Natural Ventilation - Natural ventilation, unlike fan-forced ventilation,
uses the natural forces of wind and buoyancy to deliver fresh air into
buildings.
Natural Lighting - also known as daylighting, is a technique that efficiently
brings natural light into your home using exterior glazing (windows,
skylights, etc.), thereby reducing artificial lighting requirements and
saving energy.
Green Building - is a building that, in its design, construction or operation,
reduces or eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts,
on our climate and natural environment. Green buildings preserve
precious natural resources and improve our quality of life.
Carbon Emissions - are often associated with the burning of fossil fuels,
like natural gas, crude oil and coal.
Pedagogical - concerns with teaching.
Overstimulation - happens when children are swamped by more
experiences, sensations, noise and activity than they can cope with.
INTRODUCTION
Among all stages of education, playschool (preschool or nursery) is
obviously the most delicate and sensitive phase when it comes to the
kind of environment the children of very young age are left to undergo
their initial process of learning. As this is the stage where they are
expected to explore more about the world and be free from the direct
care of their parents, the burden and responsibility of making sure that
they are nurtured productively with a healthy surrounding is not only on
the instructors’ hands but definitely also on the designer of the entire
place.
In the report written by the School For Health team of Harvard T.H
Chan related to lots of research studies about the significant role of a
healthy building for the education of the children, it has been illuminated
how the design and location of the school building serve as major
contributory factors to the progress of the student’s health, thinking, and
performance. Especially, in this time of pandemic, they are becoming
more prone to acquirement of viruses and easily get sick in just a little
nick of outdoor exposure. Moreover, the lay-out of the structure also
psychologically affects the students which would then be an inevitable
hindrance to their actual performance.
Relatively,
Zehnder
America
Inc.,
an
American
company
specializing in the discovery of ventilation solutions, emphasizes the
importance of good indoor air quality for a proper cognitive functioning.
Not only it plays a vital role in managing the energy consumption of the
building but also wondrously helps in regulating the thinking process of
the children having lessons inside the rooms.
That is why, having an efficient and healthy environment for
children to proactively learn at their early stage should be an established
ultimatum for all the builders to consider in prudence. Because we all
know that the total capacity of every child to grasp and assimilate the
knowledge they encounter on a daily basis is greater that what older ones
actually acquire. It might not be of a drastic degradation to their overall
well-being if matters of the structure are constantly neglected, there still
remains the fact that they would suffer in a consistent manner. Thus, it is
only the brightest idea to enhance their capability by taking extra
precaution to the creation of their supposed learning area.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
According to the thesis study conducted by HUDA. A. FADELALLA
MUSTAFA of THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF NATURAL AND APPLIED
SCIENCES OF ÇANKAYA UNIVERSITY, kindergarten is regarded as one of
the most crucial times in a child's life, as it is at this time that many
abilities, potentials, and talents can be developed. Kindergartens are
occasionally built without taking into account a variety of crucial
elements such as child psychology, functionality, safety, and efficiency.
Thus, the purpose of this research is to examine the ideal
kindergarten requirements and thoughts as they relate to a successful
ideal model for children's success in their early years of life using a case
study in Ankara as a case study. Because kindergarten is such an
important part of a child's development, this research is useful in
understanding
the
effective
kindergarten
design
criteria
and
considerations that must be taken into account in the school in order to
produce an ideal model for the chosen kindergarten. Furthermore, the
kindergarten phase will be examined in this study through an extensive
elaboration of possible architectural approaches and design strategies to
improve the learning environment of the children.
On the other hand, here in the Philippines, there are only few
groups and governmental organizations that further studies the
specification in improving the children’s educational welfare through
innovations of architectural facilities dedicated for them. However there
are numbers of measures to be taken into considerations along with their
apparent need in health and safety department.
In the blog posted by an anonymous author ‘education_south’ on
MeridiE last year, he defined that early childhood education is the time
when children begin to learn fundamental abilities, develop social and
emotional skills, explore their interests, and create relationships with
their parents, peers, and teachers. It serves as their basis and lays the
groundwork for their future growth. Likewise, UNESCO also emphasized
the significant role of ECCE (early childhood care and education) as a
program with more than just a means of preparing children for primary
school. It seeks to meet a child's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical
requirements holistically in order to lay a strong and comprehensive
foundation for lifetime learning and happiness, hence ECCE having been
recognized for bearing the potential to create loving, capable, and
responsible future citizens.
If we glean through all of these, we can say that this stage of early
education for the kids of very young age is really a crucial phase for their
growth. It embodies the the necessary foundations that they must
acquire as they go along their journey in school as there are so many
factors to be considered to make it all come true. That is why, this
research will serve as an important key to find solutions in the underlying
problems that both the school staffs and the parents also take
conundrum of.
DESIGN STRATEGIES
In Architecture, design strategy serves a tremendous role in the
entirety of the structure being made; from the initial planning, drafting,
until the actual application of ideas and techniques that adhere to the
aesthetic and functionality of it. However, as the cost of construction
continuously goes up due to the increasing need to improve certain
aspects of the building like energy efficiency, carbon emission, water
conservation and few others, this important concept is now also
continuously being ignored and people would instead resort to typical
construction with less architectural considerations.
As regards, I have opted to circulate the entire research around my
chosen design strategies including, but not entirely, the Passive
Sustainable Design, Renewable Energy Systems, Green Building Materials
and Finishes, Rainwater Management, and Native Landscaping to better
achieve the required energy efficiency, sustainability and incorporation of
various green ideas necessary for the design while also finding suitable
alternatives with low -cost values. According to HMC Architects in 2018,
these strategies are deemed as top choices among professionals
considering the soaring demand for a secured and safer environment
thus the need to similarly abide with these set of relevant concepts,
especially for the convenience and well-being of today’s young
generation.
Passive Sustainable Design, in conjunction with the Renewable
Energy Sytems, is definitely one of the fundamental strategies that needs
to be taken into account in building structures. It directly endorses the
idea of sustainability such as considering sun orientation and climate
when siting and being thoughtful about window placement and operation.
These considerations are used to best manage daylighting and natural
ventilation and would go a long way in reducing energy requirements for
the building. In certain climates, thermal mass techniques can be used to
harness solar energy. In such cases, thick walls absorb heat from the sun
during the day and release it into the building at night. Therefore, by
incorporating various techniques to even the simplest part of the
structure will eventually serve a greater purpose in making the whole
vicinity more comfortable and efficient to live in.
Example of a Passive sustainability Design Application
POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS:
 As the sun would most of the day revolve between east and west,
having south as the time where it is at its highest point, I will
distribute openings facing the south to acquire sufficient natural
lighting but not so much to let copious heat from direct sunlight.
 The constant design that I will adopt mostly on the left side of the
classrooms is the Clerestory Windows with few regular blinds or fixed
glass panes below to let for an outside view.
 The reason for this is that the two types of air, warm and cold, have
different density. As the warm air has lesser density, it tends to go up
the space due to lower weight. With this simple principle, clerestory
window is a great choice to let the said air escape the structure while
also letting the cold air that has accumulated around the greens
outside in for a natural ventilation. It will surely save a lot of energy
while reducing the carbon footprints from using electricity.
 In probable cases of areas without air conditioning, it is better to limit
the use of materials with high thermal mass as it would only increase
the absorption of heat inside the area especially at night. Special
insulation techniques will be applied in such situations such as using
SRC Panel Walls which is insulated and will keep the area cool all day.
 Also, vegetation and other green application will do a perfect natural
ventilation as well. Not only they absorb carbon dioxide and release
oxygen to provide for a fresher surrounding to the children, bit tall
trees will also serve as natural overhangs to shield them from direct
sunlight.
As reference to provided sunshading devices and techniques above, here
is a simple illustration:
On the other hand, Green Building Materials and Finishes fills the
extra environmental role of an architectural infrastructure. It enables one
to be equipped with necessary functions to not only help in improving the
aesthetic and overall function of the building but also contributes to the
betterment of the environment itself. In the record of Global Status
Report 2018, buildings around the world generate approximately 40% of
the total annual CO2 emissions along with other contributory factors. It
only means to say that builders, including architects and engineers,
carries the heaviest burden and responsibility in reducing the production
of harmful gases like this. Hence, by choosing appropriate materials to be
used in construction such as limiting the use of concretes and other
carbon emitters, both the surrounding environment and the people
within would definitely be the receiving end of a safe and healthy result.
Example of a Green Building Materials and Finishes Application
POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS:
 Deemed as the most sustainable material in the world, I cannot
exclude the use of bamboos in the design. Bamboos are estimated to
mature within 3 - 4 years which is actually a good thing as they can be
grown in bulks in certain conditions. Moreover, they are really sturdy
and hard to be infested with the help of some chemicals that is why
they are popular in building constructions. It can also be a good
alternative for concretes which is known for being carbon emitters as
well during their production.
 Using green roofs or walls will also contribute to a fresher
environment.
 Instead of using outdated incandescent lights, I will incorporate LEDs
fro built-in lighting since they are more energy-efficient with 85% less
electricity consumption but with the same light output. Through this,
carbon footprint will decrease while also diminishing the chances of
burning and sudden combustion of dangerous substances.
 There are also green materials that conform to the requirement of
the previous two strategies. It is the use of renewable energy sources
such as Solar, Wind, and geothermal. But in the case of playschool, I
will only adopt the idea of Solar Panels to limit the use of electricity.
 Aside from all these, the suggested finishes that can be gleaned from
the above illustration are also viable. But only those that are possible
on a playschool will be chosen in further building finalization.
Consequently, aside from the obvious need to make the building
energy-efficient, water conservation also takes up a big deal of
maintenance of the whole structure and landscape area. This is where
Rainwater Management comes in. During rainy seasons, we often neglect
to collect water from the pouring rain as some deem it bothersome since
they already have their own water system inside. But in large buildings
that necessitate equally huge amount of maintenance procedures,
rainwater collection would prove to be really helpful to avoid excessive
usage of water with minimal effort.
Applying these water management systems to a playschool is
absolutely a great idea as the cost for maintaining a green area might
actually be painful for the client. Also, having your own storage that
continuously fills up during rainy days would also limit the use of local
water supplies which also take up a large deal from your electricity
expenses.
Example of Rainwater Management Application
POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS:
 Gutters will be included on the edges of the roofs to catch rainwater.
And through downspouts that will lead to underground storage or
tank, the whole structure will now have a sustainable water system to
lessen the consumption from the local water supplies. There is now a
new technology called Bladder bag that similarly collects water from
from rain then distribute them to the entire water system.
 A Rain Garden can also be implemented using the same gutterdownspout-tank principle but the purpose will be more directed to
the garden and other green bodies of the whole landscape for
maintenance.
In relation to the Rainwater Management above, there are also
some other ways to manage the excess rainwater that has accumulated
around the area. Especially in places that have been mostly engineered
with hardscapes using concretes or any hard materials which have almost
zero capacity to absorb water. Furthermore, this type of landscaping,
Native Landscaping, also uses native plants that not only serve as great
absorbent of water but also provide an aesthetic value to the entire area
with their innate large stature, long roots, and colorful visuals. Having
these burgeoned across the landscape or even the walls or roofs would
surely be beneficial to make perfect regulation of surrounding gases, not
to mention the natural ventilation it permeates through the spaces.
Native Plants as Ornamentation
Contributory Function of Native Plants Through their Aesthetic Value and Innate Long and Sturdy Roots
Apparently, these design strategies do not need to be browsed
upon to choose only what you prefer to integrate in your plan as they are
actually what a common building should normally have. And do keep in
mind that architecture is not solely for the addition of aesthetic value to a
structure without proper regards to functionality as it greatly emphasizes
the effective and efficient use of spaces and discovery of new ways to
make everyone’s life simpler and easy to adapt in. Because at the end of
the day, paints would scar away, mosses might stain the walls, but the
place would continue to run through a long-lasting and sustainable
foundations.
POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS:
 As not all of the native plants are present around the location since
they have their own requisites in terms of climate or other specific
conditions, I will try to research some existing native plants around
the site location so as to make their inclusion sustainable due to
accessible location.
To better implement the aforementioned design strategies in sync
with the actual needs of the students to improve their capacity to absorb
every piece of knowledge and experiences along the way, I have adopted
a research written by Michael Lovaglio in 2020 tackling about the “Core
Considerations For Early Chilhood Design” that designate these strategies
according to four (4) main factors namely Personalization, Flexible Spaces,
Over-stimulation, and Technology.
In Personalization, students are expected to have their own choice
of “where and how to learn”. Provided with their own spatial identity to
do activities, they are passively being trained to be more creative,
innovative, and even socially active as they breach over their comfort
zones and start building connections with other kids of their age. In
addition, since they would mostly be left unattended doing their things
(still with supervision of teachers), this approach will also bring out the
sense of individuality in them which is actually a great result for their own
maturity, not so much for staining their childhood but helpful in gradually
increasing their productivity both in school and at home.
On the second note, children with their innate naughty behaviour
and tendency to curiously move around while exploring new areas would
surely require sufficiently large and flexible spaces. Similarly, schools have
different pedagogical methods and instructional styles which also require
flexibility in furniture arrangement, equipment portability, classroom size,
and classroom layout. Therefore, in lieu of the traditional “rows of desks”
and “sit and get” instruction, it is better to try a different approach as
students like them thrive on a variety of learning activities. By not limiting
a classroom to the traditional four walls, a larger and more flexible
classroom environment can offer many more opportunities for
instruction, spaces for groups of different sizes, and areas for
independent or collaborative work.
The visual environment of the classroom is one of the
inconspicuous affecting factors to the child’s retention of interest
towards the ongoing lessons. That is why it was further studied by
researchers at Carnegie Mellon University to better understand children’s
ability to maintain a focused attention during instruction. After a length
of observation and experimentation, they finally found out that “the
students in a highly decorated classroom spent more time off-task (38.6%
time spent off-task) than in a more-sparse classroom (28.4% time spent
off-task).” An over-designed space and overstimulating environment such
as those with overly colorful ornamentation or any distracting materials
can flood a child’s day with too many experiences, sensations, and
activities –negatively impacting their overall performances.
In line with this discovery, I will opt to limit the number of
unnecessary substances that have little to no benefits to the children’s
learning routine. By taking out those things while maintaining the
aesthetic value of the place and keeping the space comfortable to occupy,
they would now have a higher chance to assimilate what really needs to
be laid with full attention.
Not Advisable
Advisable
Technology is a controversial factor to be considered nowadays as
it is always talked about if its integration to any context of our daily lives
would bring total efficiency and convenience to the owners or it would
just let them rust in function due to overdependence. Likewise,
its diversion in early child classrooms is intensely wrangled
about by teachers and guardians nowadays. When it comes to screen
time, specialists prescribe a constrain of one hour a day of high-quality
programming for children two to five years of age. The Mayo Clinic says
“unstructured recess is more profitable for a young child’s creating brain
than is electronic media.” But with the another generation of guardians,
likely to be more carefully sharp, we will see a move toward more screen
time.
We
have
to
be
cautious
almost
how
we enhance instructional spaces and carefully consider which increments,
both mechanical and natural, can be too diverting to early learners.
Similar to overstimulation, too much gadgets for just limited
purposes will just be too distracting for children whose interests can be
easily piqued.
CONCLUSION
Having a simple and low-cost haven for the children is surely a
viable and remains a good choice. But have you ever wondered how it
would turn into if we try to consider the above-mentioned strategies to
their education? Parents should be more careful with their decisions
since upon enrolling them into a school, not all the time they would be
there to take care of them as they possibly have their own works or
simply the school requires them to let their children under the wings of
assigned instructors. So the best thing the they could leave to them even
before enrollment is to make sure that they would have a better, if not
perfect, environment to learn and explore more about the world in its
initial phase. And this also puts the designers and progenitors of the
school under careful scrutiny.
Like what I have said in the introductory narrative, builders bear a
great responsibility to make sure that the nature will not suffer from the
harmful releases of buildings. And this is more so since playschool is
really a sensitive place to not take those precautionary architectural
approaches into consideration.
REFERENCES:
https://hmcarchitects.com/news/the-top-6-sustainablearchitecture-strategies-for-public-building-design-2018-10-03/
https://architecture2030.org/why-the-buildingsector/#:~:text=Buildings%20generate%20nearly%2040%25%
20of,for%20an%20additional%2011%25%20annually.
https://schoolconstructionnews.com/2020/10/21/coreconsiderations-for-early-childhood-classroom-design/
https://www.zehnderamerica.com/ventilation-its-effects-oncognitive-skills/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthybuildings/work/healthyschools/#
https://www.mmsd.com/what-we-do/greeninfrastructure/native-landscaping
http://earsiv.cankaya.edu.tr:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/20.50
0.12416/2034/Mustafa%2C%20Huda%20A.%20Fadella.pdf?seq
uence=1&isAllowed=y
https://varlyproject.blog/early-childhood-care-and-educationin-the-philippines/