There are four groups in the day-care centre, the smallest of them catering to children with special needs. The starting point for the design was creating a safe building that encourages creativity.
Vekara day-care centre is located in downtown Pukkila at one corner of a park-like property. Entrance to the building is via an adjacent parking area and through a playground. There is a separate maintenance traffic area on the other side of the building. The U-shaped building and outbuildings outline a sheltered yard area with
magnificent views of the countryside.
The exterior shell of the building consists of a folding wooden wall with coloured exterior panelling around the windows. The courtyard is more colourful and smaller than the exterior shell. The entrances for different day-care groups can be seen from the large spaces of colour on the courtyard exterior face: the picture of each group’s signature animal marks the entrance.
The timber-framed building has been manufactured from wooden elements. The exterior faces are manufactured from Finnforest’s 42 mm thick Kuningaspaneeli panels. The coloured surfaces are exterior face boards, and the terraces are heat-treated pine.
The architectural solutions are playful but not childlike. The wooden surfaces, light-coloured floors and ceilings are complemented by brightly-coloured surfaces in the public premises. The playrooms and resting rooms are more peaceful. The large coloured surfaces aim at creating a peaceful place which the children themselves liven up.