Planning, programming and designing buildings for educational purposes: nurseries, child-care centers and primary schools.
The course deals with buildings and spaces for pre-school and primary school education. Introduction to the course is concerned with pedagogical aspects of pre-school and primary school education in Croatia and worldwide. The elements involved in planning, programming and designing as
well as the equipment of these institutions are studied and analyzed. The analysis also covers spatial and functional characteristics of nurseries, child-care centers and primary schools as well as management offices and service areas. Emphasis is placed on the elements of organizing and designing exterior space as well.
Selected examples from Croatia and abroad are presented.
Children in nurseries, child-care centers and primary schools acquire their first spatial experiences by using public spaces and arranging their own playing areas. The awareness of this fact is a decisive factor in conceiving and designing space in primary schools. The school is analyzed at different levels: in its entirety, through its spatial and functional zones down to the basic school unit – a classroom. Spatial and functional conditions of functional zones (such as classrooms, service areas, offices and gyms) as well as their arrangement are clearly defined. Pedagogical and spatial standards in dimensioning, organization and
design of a classroom are analyzed as well as the elements of technical and sanitary conditions: daylight, heating, ventilation and lighting.
Selected examples of Croatian and foreign primary school buildings are presented with regard to their spatial organization of communication links.