Do you remember your elementary school? Maybe your children's school(s)? Were the buildings particularly interesting or colorful? I've been searching high and low for good examples of elementary schools that utilize colors successfully. Often, a designer will fall into the trap of assuming that bright, primary colors are the only solution for children. Are there 'out of the box' thinkers when it comes to sheltering children during their school days?
Here's a peak at a wild example.:
This kindergarten is called the Adharshila Vatika Children Center, located in India. Essentially a remodel of an existing structure, the building uses basic identifiable shapes such as circles, triangles and rectangles to form the exterior.
Color played an important part in defining the character of the building. The
designers intended for the building to reflect Disneyland in its use of colors.
(source) In their statement about the design, they say,
"pastel shades were the obvious choice avoiding bright or dark colors like red, green, orange. The form & colors are like a composition with one complimenting each other and not standing apart, it’s like fruit basket where all the fruits of different shapes & colors form a perfect composition." (source)
I do love that they were willing to take chances, and truly commited to embracing color.
Alas, I think the result is more
Nickelodeon cartoon and less functional design. I just keep thinking, "children's play structure at the mall". Is it just me? Maybe it's my taste that runs more towards clean, simple forms and palette, but this just feels SO over the top and out of control to me. My take? Stimulus overload!
What do you guys think? I'd love to hear your opinions.
image source
image source