When Professor William Alsop was commissioned to build an innovative new children's centre in Harlesden, north London, he created a nursery unlike any other in Britain.
'I wanted Fawood Children's Centre to be a landmark building,' Alsop says.
'Many nurseries look like pumped-up bungalows, but I wanted to design a building that would fire children's imaginations.'
Fawood Children's Centre lies in the heart of Harlesden's Stonebridge estate, a run-down, disadvantaged area in the London Borough of Brent. More than 15 per cent of Stonebridge households are headed by a lone parent and 15 per cent of residents are unemployed. Of the 1,775 homes on the Stonebridge Estate, 90 per cent are medium- or high-rise flats, meaning that most local children lack safe outside areas to play in. It was the need to dramatically improve children's opportunities for outdoor play that formed the basis of the design brief for Fawood.
Fawood has been built on the site of its predecessor, the Evan Davies Nursery School. According to Lesley Fox-Lee, head of early years at Brent council, the old nursery building was typical of 1970s nursery architecture, with more indoor than outdoor space. She says, 'When we reflected on the new nursery design we decided to return to the nursery architecture of the 1930s, and reverse the proportions. The nursery headteacher had paid a visit to the pre-school and toddler centres in Reggio Emilia. This sparked a number of new ideas including the imaginative use of open space, and an emphasis on natural light, beauty and visual harmony.'
Following extensive consultation with nursery staff, children and parents, Professor Alsop and his team of architects decided to enclose the entire site with a frame of steel-mesh 'walls', topped by a solid roof.
The result is a curious, semi-outdoor environment, exposed to wind and temperature changes but protected from direct sunlight and falling rain.
From the outside, the immense, three-storey structure resembles a giant aviary, where inquisitive passers-by can pause to watch children flit between play areas like caged birds. Some of the centre's strongest detractors have even likened the building to a prison.
Sea containers and yurt
Inside the steel frame are many of the elements of a traditional nursery, including a water area, sand pit, construction area and playhouse. There is also a willow tunnel, an outdoor stage and a piazza where the children can perform concerts and have picnics.
The indoor space is provided by three stacks of recycled, three-storey sea containers. These house the classrooms, conference and training rooms and offices. A large Mongolian yurt, or tent, provides extra indoor space and is used for music and circle time.
'The sea containers and the yurt were prefabricated structures which could be assembled quickly and cheaply,' explains Professor Alsop. 'We had a very tight budget of 2.3m and the centre needed to be completed in just ten months. The yurt is a very cosy and magical space for the children to explore. Many architects forget about the word "cosy", but I think it is important when designing buildings for young children.'
Fawood provides care for 35 three- to five-year-olds, with a separate autistic unit for six children. In March the centre will open its doors to another 12 children aged between two and three.
Verity Welch, deputy headteacher at Fawood, believes the design of the centre has had a positive impact on the children. 'I think behavioural problems have been reduced since we moved from the old nursery, with the boys showing particularly marked improvements. In the new centre there are no restrictions on outdoor time and the children can move naturally between indoor and outdoor areas. I have also noticed that the children's schemas are a lot more evident than they were before.'
Ms Fox-Lee has also noticed improvements in behaviour. 'The children in this intake have settled much better than previous intakes in the old nursery,' she says. 'The open structure means the children don't feel isolated from their community, and the parents think the building is very safe and secure.'
She admits, however, that the building has posed a challenge for staff.
'The design has forced staff to take a very outdoor-focused approach, and there have been some misgivings. I think when you introduce something as innovative as this, then it will naturally take people a while to fully engage with it, and we have planned for this to take a couple of terms.'
Chilling out
There are other downsides to Fawood's unusual design. The centre opened in October 2004 - just in time for winter. During cold weather, the wind whips through the mesh frame with surprising force and, as there is nothing to act as a windbreak, the cold is taking its toll on some of the nursery staff.
'The children never say that they are cold because they're running around so much, but the staff do,' Ms Welch admits. 'The classrooms are small so we're outside for most of the day, and it's really tough to be outdoors for that length of time.'
She adds optimistically, 'It will be fantastic in the summer. We just need to get through winter first.'
In three years' time, Fawood Children's Centre will be a very different place. At present, the centre is flanked by Stonebridge tower blocks, an ugly concrete legacy from the 1970s. But these are earmarked for demolition and are already being replaced by new houses and low-rise flats.
Ms Fox-Lee says, 'Once the tower blocks are torn down, the centre will be surrounded by open parkland. Fawood will become a landmark structure for the new Stonebridge estate. The parkland will have play equipment for the local community and hopefully some more space for the nursery.'
This would give the centre a much-needed, uncovered outdoor area. A narrow flowerbed runs round the inside of the mesh walls for the children to dig in, and clematis has been planted to climb and soften the harsh metal. But the rest of the ground is artificially covered and there is an obvious lack of grass, soil, plants and trees for the children to enjoy.
Between now and September another four children's centres will open in Brent. Unlike Fawood, they will be conversions of existing buildings, but they will still place emphasis on the importance of outdoor space.
Fawood undoubtedly challenges traditional nursery design, and it remains to be seen whether such design will become commonplace. But according to Ms Fox-Lee, Fawood Children's Centre has 'already been taken to the community's heart' - which, for Stonebridge, is perhaps the most important thing.