Nursery Classroom in the Garden, really brings the Outside In

We were appointed by The Tower Nursery in Lenzie to create an outdoor classroom to provide additional capacity for their 2 - 3 year olds. Planning permission had already been secured therefore we were tasked with taking the project through the building warrant process and completing the build.

With a footprint of 7m x 7m, the room had been designed to accommodate 10 children and had to include a childrens WC with privacy screen, separate baby change room and kitchen area for meal preparation.

The Nursery itself has a substantial garden therefore the children spend lots of time outdoors. Bi folding doors to the front were essential to allow the whole front of the building to open and the children to enjoy the outdoors. Being a "garden room" we therefore had to install super high grade (R12), anti slip flooring in line with the Care Commission guidelines. Due to the room being kept open as much as possible, there was little point in installing a heating system that heats vast amounts of air, rather we installed Herschel infra red ceiling heaters. The panels are manufactured and assembled in the UK and deliver a direct transfer of heat from the heater to the object (you and the room around you) without heating the air in between.

Specialist hand wash basins with anti scald devices on the water supply were installed in both the main room and the small WC area. With time limiters on the push mechanism taps, this ensure small hands can easily use them but won't flood the classroom as they can't be left on!A separate baby change room was created with lots of storage and a further anti scald sink for handwashing. 

Externally the room is clad in Thermowood timber in a rainscreen profile which looks stunning at the bottom of the garden. To keep the little one's outdoor gear warm & dry beneath the canopy, a ceiling heater was installed to help with the drying process. Prior to the build, the bottom of the garden was a bit of a dead zone occassionally used as an outdoor mud kitchen and raised beds but the need for more space was crucial. A small raised bed has been retained to the front of the room which is a huge hit with the little ones.