Located in the beautiful town of Cascais, part of the Portuguese Riviera, is the modern and forward-thinking Parque Kindergarten. The remarkable pre-school—a project by PROMONTORIO Arquitetos—aims to create bespoke environment for the students to prosper in the best educational practices possible. What is the proposed solution? As much flexibility as possible, and so the school offers a myriad of eclectic spaces for different activities. All inside a minimalist form in striking bond brickwork.

Breaking away from the conventional educational & civic building identity, Parque Kindergarten offers a quality more akin to residential dwellings. White colour is predominantly found throughout the school, resulting in a blank canvas for the proposed undertakings. The variance in scale and height between volumes translates the differing nature of each activity well, from the liberty of the patios, the colourful art room, to the canteen, among others. The Euclidean honeycomb was the basis for the programme, as polygons were arranged echoing an organic pattern in design. Amplitude was key, thus resulting in surprising spaces throughout.

The minimalist angle to create the school wearing its modernist influence is stimulating, as many educational centres adopt innovative methods and perspectives but fail to embrace and recognise the importance of architecture in daily life. A+.