The renovation of the Mesepalota (“Fairy-Tale Palace”) satellite kindergarten started with a serious technical problem: in the dense inner-city fabric, the basement level of the kindergarten—organized around two courtyards—would fill with sewer water during heavy rainfall. Solving this technical issue was one of the main design tasks; in addition, we needed to modernize the currently outdated, underused courtyard areas. Part of this was a covered terrace which, due to its polycarbonate roofing, became unbearably hot in summer.

Beyond eliminating the obvious technical and aesthetic problems, we also consider it important to create an inspiring environment that sparks children’s imagination and lives up to the kindergarten’s name. This is how the covered terrace became the “Palace,” the climbing greenery on the walls became the “Hanging Garden,” and the playground elements in both courtyards “float” on the “Sea of Operencia.”

In shaping the courtyard spaces, we felt it was important—despite the small courtyards—to divide activities into separate zones for high- and low-intensity play, and to make room not only for movement-based games (seesaw, swing, slide) but also for dramatic, imagination-based play (ship, fairy-tale island, castles).

We solved the technical issue of water ingress with a new utility/drainage system and large buffer storage tanks. The covered-but-open terrace will be kept optimally tempered year-round through natural, gravity-driven ventilation.

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