Designed by Zooco, the Big and Tiny NYC kindergarten was conceived as a bet on a new lifestyle for the families of the metropolis: a unique place where family and work life can flourish together. The other Big and Tiny schools were established before this latest one and are located in California
Big and Tiny NYC Kindergarten. Heterogeneous volumes evoke the home, primary educational environment
The Big and Tiny NYC kindergarten, the third of the eponymous company, is located in Manhattan at the Brookfield Place commercial complex, close to the World Trade Center and overlooking the Statue of Liberty
The architectural language of Big and Tiny NYC is derived from the intention to align in the floor plan the area of the 5 classrooms with the square meters imposed by regulations for each student. The designers therefore choose a design made up of irregular polygons, akin to a Voronoi diagram, where by shifting and rotating the sides of these polygons they meet the required specifications. The resulting space between the classrooms and the external glass facade becomes a distribution area and play area for the children
From the plan, these irregular polygons rise in their third dimension like houses with sloping roofs, metaphorically representing the "domestic" - the home as the primary educational system. The volumetric outcome is a heterogeneous solid made up of these houses of various sizes that look outwards. The roofs are equipped with skylights that mimic natural light, complementing it
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