How good can an early childhood education centre be? In Mairangi Bay on Auckland’s North Shore, Kākāpō Creek Children’s Garden has used design to reinvent the answer, winning a prestigious Best Design Award this year
![Simon Wilson](https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/nzme/024b4a01-30c7-4ae7-9638-10f1770d7d08.png)
Simon Wilson
Kākāpō Creek Children's Garden.
Rain chains fall from the gutters to lead the rest of the water into pots on the deck and from there it flows through a filtration system of rock and gravel. “It returns to the stream like it would have done naturally,” says architect Phil Smith, “but we’ve cleaned it. The green roof also cleans the water and removes heavy metals and impurities.”
The lighting and ventilation are mostly natural, the interiors are timber throughout and the climbing and play equipment is also mainly unpainted timber. All of it enhances the sense of being part of the natural environment.
![Classroom interior, Kākāpō Creek Children's Garden.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/LQH2DFG54FGVXEF3ATRKQLR4LY.jpg?auth=ed5d9624550929026e3a5949da0516cabefb7f77ec566eb86801da0de1665163&width=16&height=13&quality=70&smart=true)
The emphasis on natural wood also has a psychological value. “Loads of colour can provide too much stimulation,” says Smith. There is evidence that it makes it more challenging for children with learning difficulties to cope and concentrate.”
Smith Architects are experts in childcare centre design, having done many others in Auckland and elsewhere. With Kākāpō Creek, they’ve created a building for children to be happy in. That’s not a bad idea for other buildings, too. Doesn’t everyone deserve a built environment that makes them happy?
![Kākāpō Creek Children's Garden in Mairangi Bay.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/DTLPLHTUGBBQTJESXYMDEKYPO4.jpg?auth=a779843074e2ab4f637705969975b8cc04123df1ffdbd88440729496fbe4e57b&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
![Evening at Kākāpō Creek Children's Garden.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/J4NIIBTTY5BPRPOMJ3A3M5XTBI.jpg?auth=c0e62647b07daf4c3d10dc97a95f8754651124e799ca2cea7cb438253c77a853&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Design for Living, presenting bright ideas that make cities better, appears each week in Canvas magazine.