/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

Years
2021 —,
Location
Ukraine, Kyiv
Type
Project area
0,4 ha
Client
SAGA Development
Support
Architectural bureau 'BURØ'
State
In progress
Objective
To design the courtyard for building #5, the space for the preschool and the school, which are also located in the yard.
Challenge
To create an active play area for the educational institution where the children will feel encouraged to play. To combine it with the courtyard of the residential building taking into consideration the needs of the residents.
Solution
The space was divided according to function—as a courtyard and a preschool, then the two parts were joined by a common green area, which doubles as a buffer. We positioned the centers of activity on the opposite sides of the courtyard, which is how we achieved balance and solved the conflict of proximity of the active play area to the yard. The concept of the preschool area is based on the idea of interaction and exploration of the world through nature. The area for school sports games is on the roof of the school.

Location

Rybalsky residential district is located on the Rybalsky peninsula in the Podilsky district of Kyiv. 

The block-by-block development of the district means that the residential blocks are separated by a network of streets into smaller sectors with courtyards which are accessible only to the residents and their guests. 

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

The courtyard is located on the concrete roof of the parking garage, at second floor level. The Child Development Center (CDC) takes up half of the courtyard, the other half is for the residents of building #5.

The space for the schoolchildren is on the roof of the school. 

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

Preparing a Structure Plan of the Courtyard

The courtyard is divided into two parts, which segregate the areas according to their functions--the preschool and the courtyard. This way we resolve the conflict of functions. Activity centers are positioned on the opposite sides of the yard in order to balance out the space and to move the noisy games further away from residential windows.

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
The Search for the Concept

The Courtyard

The courtyard and the preschool area are planned in relation to one another—the zones are located as mirror reflections of one another, and they have equal width. They are set apart by dense greenery planted in raised beds. The trees and the shrubs create a hedgerow and reduce the noise from the preschool.  

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

In the center of the courtyard, there is a quiet recreation area with two pergolas and some tables, and a quiet green zone. Because of densely planted large trees, this set up creates the illusion of multiple spaces.

This is the spatial, dimensional, and social center of the area. The residents can gather around the tables, play tabletop games, talk. Here, it is convenient to have a snack with children after spending time on the playground, to read a book, or to even relax with a glass of wine in the evening. This helps foster good neighborly relations.

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

While presenting our concept to the future residents, we received a proposition to create a terrace in the green zone with large trees. That is how the quiet recreation area came to be—a green space where one can enjoy nature and escape the summer heat in the shadows of the trees.

The plot is raised 0.75 meters above ground to allow space for the trees to grow.  


/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

The playground for children under six years old is on a large lawn next to the recreation area. The open space lets the children run freely and play. 

We intended the playground to be as close to nature as possible. We created a terrain by raising the lawn and forming a valley with gravel in the form of a dried-up lake, added some play elements, boulders, and driftwood. A water pump for playing with water is an important element.


/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

Next to the street-side stairs, we designed a recreational area with beanbag chairs. This space is intended to be used freely as needed by the residents. There are many scenarios—from reading quietly over a cup of coffee to loud parties where the entire building is invited.

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

Preschool Area

The concept of the preschool area is based on the idea of interaction and exploration of the world through nature.

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
The concept of space arrangement
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

The greenery is extended along the side of the yard, which creates quiet space closer to the residential windows. The space for active play is located closer to the street in order to avoid disturbing the residents with noise.

Paths are paved using various materials and going in different directions through the greenery. We add terrain—it makes the routes more exciting and makes the space feel more to-scale to the child. Additional soil hills make it possible to plant trees and shrubs without having to construct raised beds out of concrete.

Careful planning makes it possible to squeeze into a small space a whole mysterious world, which can be explored and rediscovered every day.  We created zones with the following themes and functions: free ocean space, rock caves, lost forest, riverbank, prehistoric people’s settlement. 

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

The area starts with a free zone—the ocean. This is the noisiest part of the playground, so we located it closer to the street and further away from residential windows. The children come out of the preschool here and run through the rest of the territory. 

An awning near the entrance can be used to conduct classes outside. A wide walkway runs alongside the building. It acts as a buffer space and can be used to reach any zone of the playground. 

The ocean zone has the largest concentration of play and sports activities. The playground elements are made in the form of fishing and ship nets. The rubber surface is designed to have patterns that mimic the ocean and the shore.  

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

Behind the ocean, there is a rain forest area. We integrated the playground into the green zone, which lets the children feel like little explorers. To get to it, they have to pass through caves with cave drawings. There is also a drawing board where everyone can leave their own mark.

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

The children can choose several routes to explore and play. The main route goes through all the play and activity zones. It is paved with stabilized gravel and does not distract from the play elements. The additional route also goes through all the zones, but it branches out to quieter spaces with some driftwood, wooden sculptures of reptiles, boulders. This route, paved with river stones, has varying terrain, which makes it more exciting to follow. The third route is the access to any zone from the sidewalk.  

After the caves, we end up in the forest zone. Here the children can play with the driftwood and the logs, run around the trees and the shrubs. The space is scaled to a child’s height, which means that the logs feel like mature tree trunks to them.

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

We come out of the forest and end up on the “river” bank. This zone has natural wooden play elements: a boat, a crocodile bench, a swing.

The variety of routes and scenarios for play keeps this space exciting. The kids can rediscover it every time and come up with new scenarios.

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

At the end of the route there is a settlement of prehistoric people. The kids can hide in the gazebos, woven from willow. The abandoned campfire comes to life in the evening as special lighting imitates hot, glowing embers. The entire space invites the children to play, encourages their creativity.

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5
/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

The central entrance to the CDC building, located on the side of the sports zone of the pedestrian Rybalsky boulevard. The space is intended for teenagers, as there is a  skate part, trampolines, and an active play area.

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

School Area on the Roof

The concept of exploration continues on school grounds. The theme of this space is the colonization of Mars.

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

There are facilities for sports games on the roof—a basketball court and minifootball field. Next to them, there is a pergola and a seating area for spectators, so that they can watch the games in comfort. The play elements are in the form of stars and spaceships.  The minifootball field is painted with the markings of an airport runway. 

The greenhouse and the gardens, located in the craters of the “Martian soil”, provide a space for the students to study plants. The children can grow cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes, and other vegetables here.

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

Implementation Progress

/ 'Rybalsky Family Port' child development center and courtyard #5

Landscape architecture studio 'KOTSIUBA'

Maksym Kotsiuba, Mariia Andriienko, Svitlana Konopliova, Oleksandr Prokhorov

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