Designed for Play, Built for Learning

Location East Lothian
Photography Paul Zanre
New Build Education

Three bespoke nursery environments designed around play, exploration and discovery, creating nurturing spaces where learning and nature are closely connected.

Developed as part of East Lothian Council's response to the Scottish Government's 1,140-hour Early Learning and Childcare expansion, this programme delivers three bespoke nursery environments that place play and discovery at the centre of early years learning. Located at Pinkie St Peter's Primary School, St Gabriel's Primary School and West Barns Primary School, each facility responds to its individual setting and community while sharing a common architectural language that creates a coherent identity across the programme

Designed around the needs of early years learners, the new facilities place play, exploration and discovery at the centre of the learning experience. New nursery environments provide secure and welcoming spaces that remain connected to the wider school community, while a variety of carefully designed settings support both active and quiet forms of learning. At Pinkie St Peter's, a mezzanine play space, spiral stair and integrated quiet room create opportunities for curiosity, imagination and independent exploration, allowing children to develop confidence and autonomy within an environment that remains safe, legible and easy to supervise.

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A strong relationship between indoor and outdoor learning underpins each project. Large sliding glazed screens provide direct access to covered external spaces and enclosed play gardens, allowing children to move freely between inside and outside throughout the day. Rather than treating outdoor space as a separate playground, the gardens become an extension of the learning environment, supporting exploration, imaginative play, social interaction and physical development. Natural play features, planting, changes in texture and opportunities for sensory discovery encourage children to engage with the world around them, while secure boundaries and clear sightlines ensure these environments remain safe and welcoming spaces for learning through play.

Materiality plays an important role in creating calm and nurturing environments. Light brickwork, timber detailing and generous glazing give the buildings a warm, domestic character, while vaulted ceilings and rooflights bring natural daylight deep into the playrooms. Large windows maintain constant visual connections to the surrounding gardens, reinforcing children's relationship with the outdoors even when learning inside. Acoustic treatments, natural finishes and carefully considered proportions help create spaces that feel comfortable, engaging and scaled to young learners, supporting wellbeing, development and learning through play.

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