Hopscotch Childcare Centre

With a site located along an activity corridor and at the intersection of Main and Hector Streets, our Client came to us in April 2021 with a brief to design a childcare centre. This location was chosen to cater for increasing density of residential development in Osborne Park.

Working within the City of Stirling’s guidelines, the design marries a language of typical commercial and residential aesthetics commonly found in the surrounding streets, with playful and functional elements expressed on the street elevations, denoting its purpose and presence as a childcare centre.

The design response primarily addresses the prominent corner position of the site, softened by a curved screen wrapping the south-west corner. Careful site planning was employed to place play spaces away from residential setback interfaces to reduce noise breakout.

Our intention was to design a complex with an aesthetic that conveys a sense of fun and joy for the occupants, whist also engaging the passerby with an activated building that will enhance the streetscape and its immediate environment. Being only two storeys in height, and with the introduction of a linear street canopy, we have constructed the aesthetic around a blend of horizontal planes, grounded by the strong anchor element positioned at the street intersection.

Changes to local authority planning policies delayed the project, but we were re-engaged to progress with the design scope of work in February 2023.