As a quiet oasis in a high-density, sealed urban neighborhood, the Kita Elisenstraße offers kindergarten children a protected space to play and romp around outdoors. The building site represents a link between the heterogeneous uses in the surrounding area. The new building of the 6-room kindergarten is characterized by its free, unformulated form and striking colorfulness, which is surrounded by the outdoor area as a solitaire.

The exterior space is characterized by its surrounding enclosure, a two-sided, two-meter-high concrete wall, which is covered with a canopy and decorated with bird graffiti in reference to the group names.
A wooden paravent frames the eastern edge of the site: integrated windows and play features (blackboard for painting) make it a vertical play element. From the street, the site is hardly visible, only the striking wooden paravent at the entrance shows the way. Past a functional strip with parking spaces, bicycle parking and a garbage location, the spacious forecourt leads to the main entrance and serves as a right-of-way for the minibuses that bring the children to the kindergarten in the morning and at noon. During daycare hours, this area can be used for movement games and for riding bikes and scooters. A polygonal “Flitzebahn” takes up the shape of the building, runs through the entire outdoor area and makes all areas accessible to children with limited mobility. Dense plantings for hide-and-seek play and attractive flowering plantings follow open lawns with various swinging opportunities.
A large sand area with accessible and non-accessible play opportunities is directly adjacent to the enclosing wall. With a water feature, sand stacking table, slide and climbing opportunities, there is an exciting offer for all children here. The characteristic tree population on the top of the wall can be preserved as far as possible.

Project Data

Landscape Architecture: DTP

Architecture: büsing van wickeren
Client: Immobilienwirtschaft Stadt Essen
Planning and realisation: Planungsbüro DTP Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH
Photos: Nikolai Benner
Design Year: 2017-2020
Realisation Year: 2020