Kindergarten in Salaspils

Situated in Salaspils, a developing municipality near Riga, the two-storey timber kindergarten accommodates twelve classrooms grouped in pairs, each with an independent entrance and vestibule ensuring safe and efficient circulation. The plan is organized around a generous central hall — the “living room” — fostering community, visibility, and shared activity. Exposed glulam and CLT structures, natural finishes, and carefully integrated landscaping create a cohesive, warm, and health-conscious environment that harmonizes with its suburban context and ecological setting.

The project originated from a 2018 architectural competition launched by Salaspils Municipality, aspiring to create a forward-looking educational facility for its growing population. The main challenge was to realize a two-storey timber structure within Latvia’s restrictive building and fire codes. Through an intense collaborative process with structural and fire engineers and the State Fire and Rescue Service, the design team secured exceptional approvals, achieving an uncompromised result. The spatial strategy combines decentralization and community: twelve classrooms with individual entrances promote independence and safety, while the central “living room” encourages shared activities and inclusion. The project’s significance extends beyond architecture — it establishes a highest-level benchmark for public development and exemplifies how design can address social cohesion and elevate public-sector ambition.

The building’s structure employs a fully timber system — glulam post-and-beam frames with CLT walls and slabs — left exposed to express structural honesty and craftsmanship. Certified by the German Passive House Institute, it achieves an exceptional energy demand of only 12 kWh/m² per year, almost four times below the national standard. The timber construction stores 1232 tons of carbon against 724 tons emitted, rendering the building climate positive.Materials are natural, non-toxic, and low in VOCs, ensuring excellent indoor air quality and longevity. Maintenance is minimal, limited to the periodic treatment of wooden surfaces and ventilation system inspection. Beyond technical achievement, the project demonstrates how a public commission — often bound by rigid frameworks — can transcend constraints without compromise, setting a benchmark for environmentally and socially responsible architecture in the Baltic region.