Spatial extension, views out and beyond, and a visual sense of the collective, create a sense of inclusiveness rather than enclosure.
To be able to see the sky and have a visual connection with the natural environment outside is fundamental to us all for both a sense of calmness and normalcy. Children in particular—not yet trained to ignore their instincts—yearn for that outside connection.
At Tom Tits Experiment Preschool in Sweden (image 1), the corridor is not enclosed by walls but by open framed storage screens.
It is transformed into a learning street that merges and takes on the character of each room that it passes, becoming an extensionof the art room, of the wet area or of the main dining room.
In the Machida Shizen Preschool, Tokyo (image 2), a low child-scaled locker area and play loft is transformed into an open and light filled oasis by the translucent coloured Perspex used in place of walls.