Sainte-Walburge

About: The crèche project reconstitutes the corner of the street and the Place Sainte-Walburge formerly occupied by a petrol pump. By taking advantage of this particular urban position, it questions the relationship between the private and public spheres in spaces dedicated to children. Each facade has its own architectural vocabulary while composing with the others an identifiable whole. The gable decorated with a set of red bricks marks the identity on the church square. A cascade of white triangular terraces projects the children's sections onto the public space while offering them natural protection. Finally, a curtain wall reflects its neighbours while revealing the circulation and interior organisation. The interactions between the intimate and the public are thus worked on to design a space dedicated to children. The crèche is in fact a time halfway between the intimacy of the child's family cocoon and the pavement that he or she will one day walk on. Far from opposing or compartmentalising the spheres of intimacy and the public, the space connects them through the use of the building. The intimate and the public respond to each other through the daily life of the place, showing without showing off, protecting without enclosing.