Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

A Vivid, Curvaceous Kindergarten Takes Cues From Feng Shui in Vietnam

A Vivid, Curvaceous Kindergarten Takes Cues From Feng Shui in Vietnam

Natural materials, lush courtyards, and feng shui principles combine in the first of a series of eco kindergartens by LAVA and Module K.

In a reaction against sterile learning environments, international architecture firm LAVA has completed Eco-Kindi, an environmentally conscious kindergarten in Vinh, Vietnam that encourages holistic learning through organically shaped architecture.



Eco Kindi is located next to a large lake in Vinh, an economic and cultural center in north-central Vietnam.

"It’s part of an education revolution," says Chris Bosse, director at LAVA, which has partnered with Ho Chi Minh City–based interior design firm Module K on a new series of sustainably designed kindergartens focused on holistic learning. "If you want to create a better future, you have to start with the education of our children."



"This is a very big building for a kindergarten," says Bosse. "The kindergarten assumes a prominent position on the lake, like a town hall, a library, a sports center, or a major event space-and it is all of this."

To encourage discovery, curiosity, and interaction with nature, the architects crafted three semicircular buildings punctuated with circular windows of varying sizes framed in bold primary colors and surrounded by lush vegetation. Connected via Y-shaped footbridges, the three-story curved buildings are oriented for natural ventilation and optimal views of the adjacent Goong Lake.



The Y-shaped footbridges that connect the three buildings are open to the outdoors.

"The design language-organic shapes, simple architectural lines, primary colors, different facades/windows coded by age-is all about growth," says Bosse. The architect credits his belief in the power of architecture to shape young minds to his own childhood experiences growing up near Frei Otto’s experimental Institute for Lightweight Structures in Germany. "It’s child-friendly without being childish."



The windows vary in height and size in response to the needs of different age groups.

The project was completed in just 12 months from the first meeting to final construction thanks to a close working relationship between all stakeholders, who met over a series of workshops in Vinh and Ho Chi Minh City. The architects divided the kindergarten into a trio of three-story buildings to match the relatively low-lying residential architecture that surrounds the site.



Interstitial spaces between buildings serve as outdoor playgrounds.



The street-facing building features an interactive water fountain that provides a cool respite on hot days.

The architects referenced the five feng shui elements in their material selection and design, including earth via sand pits and earth mounds; water with the interactive fountain; fire through the Masterchef kitchen; metal in the playground equipment; and wood as seen in the landscaping and interiors.



Undulating ribbed ceilings made of plywood add a sense of play to the interiors.



Physical activity and art education are emphasized in the curriculum, which includes swimming, sports, art and music classes, and cooking lessons.

The kindergarten’s nature-inspired design has also led to energy-saving benefits. Natural ventilation and daylighting reduce energy loads, while the plants on the roofs and terraces will grow over time to provide shade and cooling microclimates. Bosse adds that for the majority of the year, the school can stay naturally cool thanks to cross breezes from the lake.



All the furniture is custom built from plywood.



"An education project for the future generation challenges us to question the ways we teach and learn," says Bosse. "Rather than a sterile box with a teacher in front and kids in rows listening, we created a learning environment where discovery, curiosity, interaction with nature, and activity-based learning are encouraged to promote children’s holistic development."



Classrooms are housed in two of the buildings, while the southernmost building comprises the canteen, medical room, library and activity-based learning areas such as a ballroom and swimming pool.

"Education is the foundation of our society, and it should express itself this way," explains Bosse. "The design is playful and organic at the same time, and it allows interaction inside and outside-between city scale and human scale."



Eco Kindi plan



Eco Kindi elevation



Eco Kindi section



Eco Kindi natural ventilation diagram

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×