A complex of many houses

Galaxen - The Galaxy - is a large childcare institution in a distinctive style built from beautiful, solid materials to provide an inspiring backdrop to the children’s daily lives.

A large overhanging roof beneath the magnificent treetops is the vision greeting you as you approach the institution Galaxen in Jyderup on western Zealand. The building houses six kindergarten groups and three nursery groups, which occupy rooms placed along the facades. The complex consists of five elongated ‘houses’ in varying heights with vaulted ceilings. At its heart is an open atrium, which draws extra daylight into the rooms.

Spatial variation is achieved through the staggering of walls and ceiling heights to create an exciting facade with its almost wavy profile in wood and zinc. The interior divisions are reflected in the distinctive gable ends along the facade. An ‘image’ which is recognisable for the children, and which reduces the scale of the otherwise large building. The choice of wood and zinc is also in line with the child-friendly scale, as are the robust materials that beautifully patinate to create an interesting variation.

Airy rooms

Inside, the emphasis has been on creating a comfortable and welcoming environment for children and staff. The high ceilings create a pleasant and airy atmosphere and an impressive sense of space. To ensure good acoustics in the high-ceilinged rooms, Kullegaard Arkitekter chose Troldtekt acoustic panels for the ceilings and the inside of the gables.

Once again, natural variation and interesting surface structures have been chosen for an exciting look. Skylights in the large rooms emphasise their character. The high-ceilinged rooms are also used to full advantage and their size reinforced by the fact that play furniture and ‘houses’ have been installed, which the children can crawl around and use for playing hide-and-seek.