A home for 30 children, this building replaces their existing facility which tends to flood and lacks ventilation. The proposal reacts to the constrained site by leaving a void for ventilation at the back of the site, drawing air upward and providing indirect light. Terracotta louvers are envisioned as scaffolding for greenery that can help cool the interior and potentially provide a small business opportunity harvesting greens. The raised ground floor accommodates services for women and the elderly and the upper floors are reserved for the children and their caretakers. That this is mainly a space for children is reflected in the playful design sensitive to their scale and perception.

The jury was taken with the project’s “Alice in Wonderland”- like approach which re-envisions a small urban building through the eyes of children. In doing so, it also provides them with a dignified and comforting environment. The compact, quirky building form nevertheless achieves a feeling of spatial generosity through the inclusion of a central vertical void for circulation, light, and ventilation. The proposal goes beyond social sustainability to include passive building technology, innovating design measures, and a viable economic model. The next step towards implementation will need to be a further development of the project from compelling schematic design to a convincing translation into construction detailing.