At the edge of the campus De Uithof in Utrecht is a historic thatched farmhouse and a wooden shed. Between these two rustic buildings has Drost + van Veen architects brightly colored nursery housed in a wooden building with a surprising shape of the roof.

It was decided to place the new building as a contemporary farmhouse in formal language, use of materials and construction, between the two existing buildings. The colored wooden facade and sleek aluminum roof contrast with the surrounding buildings. The cap on the front refers to the silhouette of the farm. In length transforms the hood to a flat roof. The rear looks, unlike the front, not as a farm but rather as a modern building.

The large variety of spaces within a well-organized building with numerous vistas, offers an ideal environment for babies and toddlers and a pleasant working environment for the leadership. The building consists of two floors and the building symmetrischs follows the organization of the nursery in detail. The building is divided into three clearly identifiable areas: areas for the organization in an area at the front, the entrance and the arcade in the middle, and the group rooms at the rear.

The large covered balcony overlooking a meadow with sheep is the outdoor area for the group rooms on the first floor. While providing the balcony protection from direct sunlight to the occupied areas on the ground floor. The Little Frog closes with its recognizable forms with the surrounding buildings and surprised at the same time by the stubborn materials.

• PROJECT:NURSERY LITTLE FROG
• LOCATION:DE UITHOF, UTRECHT
• ARCHITECT:DROST + VAN VEEN ARCHITECTS
• CONTRACTOR:VAN NIEUWENHUIZEN DAANDELS BV
• FABRICATOR:CONSULTANCY BOERSMA BV
• REALIZATION:2003
• © DROST + VAN VEEN ARCHITECTS