The essence of the project to redevelop the kindergarten classes and its adjacent corridor is designed around three major challenges: responding to a problem of lack of space, improving the sections allocated to learning activities, and improving the feeling of well-being and belonging.

Beneficing of an exceptional environmental framework, it was agreed to bring nature as much as possible inside the school to create new possibilities for games and amusement in the classrooms, making them flexible to the needs of teaching and entertainment.

Small alcoves in the shape of little houses have been set up along the entire length of the corridor to extend teaching beyond the classroom. They encourage reading and writing and evoke at the same time the pleasant aesthetics of the countryside dotted with distant houses. An easily identifiable room identification system for toddlers is established by assigning a separate colour and animal to each class. The applied colours to the walls suggest mountains and the emblematic animals were chosen from amongst those found in the wildlife surrounding Mont-Saint-Bruno.

In addition to responding to the various functionality issues, the whole project satisfies the desire to make the experience the most enjoyable and enriching space possible. As a result, the layout is fun, appealing, practical and innovative for the young preschool students clientele.

Technical description Official name of the project: Académie des Sacrés-Coeurs, kindergarten classes Location: Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville Project end date: Summer 2019 Area: 3,770 sf Customer: Académie des Sacrés-Coeurs Project manager: Andrée-Ann Daniels Collaborator: Nicola Tardif-Bourdages Designer: Benoit Lachapelle Photograph: Maxime Brouillet