Plan Architect designed a school that flows from the outside to the indoors seamlessly for Lovell International School in Pattaya City, Thailand.

Lovell International School, an international kindergarten in Pattaya, Thailand, is a place where children can play and learn among the trees. The existing trees on the site are aged mature trees with the owner and designer’s main intention to keep most of them for the new school.

The layout design schematic started with the option of planning with space and shape that brings up potential of the trees on the site and creates a most interesting atmosphere. The tree house concept matches with the design where the little house pops up amidst the forest. The free flow curve building shape avoids the existing trees and provides the court which separates zoning to match with learning age. The building ground floor is separated mainly into 3 wings including under-3 years old children wing, kindergarten wing, and admission wing. Having its own court for each wing together with outdoor learning space behind the classroom, the building is surrounded by greens. In front of each class are linked by the indoor play space which can be used for many occasions, such as during the PM2.5 situation, or extreme weather like heavy rain and excessive sunlight due to the tropical climate. On the upper floor, the tree house pops up for each individual function; the cooking class, art class and soft gym, together with the multipurpose hall. The space under the gable roof provides spacious space which many play frames are added up to create various kinds of play-space such as hideout space, play structure space or adventure space.

The interior of the school provides a cozy wooden atmosphere to harmonize the mood of little-house-in-the-big-wood feeling to all of the hall and indoor play-space, while in the classroom, the white color is used for pleasant brightness for learning. The landscape area is separated into many zones in which the characteristics of each court are based on the existing trees. Those include the play area for children under 3 years old and over 3 years old, while the back of the classroom also links with the green space for learning about agriculture and waste recycling. The water play area provides both a swimming pool and splash pool where little kids can play and enjoy many activities. The court with the densest trees is designed to be a forest-like play area where adventurous activities can be done.

Design: Plan Architect
Photography: Rungkit Charoenwat