A nursery in Normandy carves out safe living spaces for children to recover and heal from traumatic family situations.

Key features

The Fleury-sur-Orne nursery replaces an outdated building that was installed in nearby Caen for 37 years. Paul Le Quernec Architectes was tasked to design a safe, comforting landing place for children in need of full-time care until lasting solutions are found. The site comprises three types of building. The first are technical spaces for workshops, then logistical buildings for administration, various services, laundry and dining. Metal dome structures house the children’s living spaces. Regarded as ‘cocoons’, the homes symbolize the primary goal of the architecture – to ensure the wellbeing of the young residents, from a few months to six years old, and in complex or dangerous family situations. 

These living areas are separated from the other functional buildings with a walkway, demarcating a clear boundary between the world of children and that of adults. This physical and psychological separation establishes a sense of protection and removal from parent-related crises. The small, private units for each child are designed to the familiar scale of the individual, single-storey home, arranged in a circle around areas for shared activities as with a small village and central square. They all open onto two terraces and have efficient ventilation systems. Bright, soft lighting, wood cladding, neutral finishes and ample windows displaying the heavily planted landscape make the interiors warm and approachable. 

Parents and children can meet in a designated space intentionally positioned near the entrance of the building. The placement gives children the feeling ‘that this space remains at a considerable distance from their own specific space, [fully belonging] to the “outside” world,’ explain the architects. 

FRAME’s take

When it comes to providing safe spaces for children and young people that have experienced trauma, ‘units that are pleasant, homely and comfortable, familiar and not institutional, play an important part in recovery and improving outcomes’, according to 2017 guidance published by England’s National Health Service. Connection to nature, the provision of social opportunities, secure building layouts and freedom to personalize a space are additionally crucial to designing such childcare facilities, as outlined by researcher Annelies Allcock. The Fleury-sur-Orne provides a positive foundation for healing by addressing these factors and carving out a literal separated world for children who have distressing family relationships and fractured trust in adults.