For some preschoolers in China, learning got a bit more fun thanks to their colorful new kindergarten. Japanese architect Keiichiro Sako created a kaleidoscope within the school by placing 483 glass inserts in rainbow hues throughout the space. Now, as light shines through, color bounces through the minimalist, white space.
“The shades of colors can grow and shrink as the colors overlap and become different, or move from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane and then to a vertical plane,” Sako says. “It's like a kaleidoscope, where the entire space is constantly changing.”
The kaleidoscope of colors extends beyond the glass, as Sako's architecture firm also incorporates the colors on the doors and handrails. The rainbow also spills outdoors into a grassy play area, where colorful round inserts help the children gaze out into the city.
By keeping the interior clean and minimal, Sako allows the colors to pop. Each insert brings a burst of energy into the space. “I hope that children's creativity will be nurtured by spending their childhood in this beautiful light,” Sako shares.
There is also significance to the rest of the building’s architecture and design. Located in Tianshui, a city of 3.5 million in China's Gansu Province, the building's rounded glass pieces are a nod to the city's location on the Loess Plateau, which was an early cradle of Chinese civilization. Just as the plateau fostered a developing China, the school will foster the young minds who will lead the next generation.
Architects brightened this kindergarten in China using 483 colorful glass inserts.
![Rainbow Kindergarten by SAKO Architects](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1200 801"></svg>)
The panels create a kaleidoscope of color in the otherwise minimal interior.
