P A L DESIGN GROUP completed a vision to make NUBO Sydney a space of endless possibilities in play and exploration for young kids in Sydney, Australia.

Nest within a three-storey space in Sydney’s Alexandria, NUBO – just as its Spanish name meaning cloud suggests – is hard to pin down with its unlimited potential as a creative hub for learning and exploration. Carefully designed and flexibly suited for children from 2 to 8, it offers a stimulating and inclusive learning environment to encourage boundless imagination.

In addition to playful use of graphics completed with a warm pastel tone, its well-lit boundary-free open space emphasizes the concept of ‘pure play’ to make and create – and becomes inclusive for children in their various stages of learning to safely and curiously explore the entire space. The overall design takes a minimalist approach to remove unnecessary furniture and equipment – with just enough to invent their own games. Traditionally categorized into ‘active’ and ‘passive’ play, with the former includes slides and nets to climb and hide, the latter is housed in equally immersive environment for classes from cake-making to painting. Warm-white finish, natural lighting as well as tables and chairs in wooden finish tall contribute to a homey learning environment – and all with children’s proportions and safety taken into account. Equally important is to invite parents to spend quality time with their children – and with plenty of interactions, too. Another key element designer has especially considered is how adults are also invited to comfortably accompany their kids – and just to relax and even learn with child-like curiosity. ‘Pure play’, after all, means something for everyone in this well-designed space to enjoy.

Architect: P A L DESIGN GROUP
Photography: Michelle Young, Amy Piddington