Jardin de creche, Yverdon-les-Bains

Yesterday afternoon I went with Jeremy from the office to Yverdon-les-Bains, where VWA designed the landscape for a pre-school. The garden was installed one year ago, so this was a follow-up visit to check the number and health of the plants and to address any other landscape issues with the contractor, who met us later along with the principals of VWA and the local architects (who carried out VWA's plans).

VWA chose several edible plants for the garden, and I saw at least one boy eagerly harvesting some strawberries (directly into his mouth, of course). There is also a line of raspberries and a few cherry and pear trees.

Jeremy counting plants


This ramp seems to lend itself to imaginative play, although the adults had to council the children to walk, not run down it. Later some of them bounced a ball down the ramp. The ramp also shapes a more social, visible "inside" to the space (with slides, stage, seating, sand area) and defines a more private, hidden "outside" (with a path alongside planted areas). The designers intended to create a space for the children to wander and be more independent, but at least one of the teachers felt this made it too difficult to supervise the children.