| Title |
The Spatial Characteristics of Waldorfkindergarten Uberlingen |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.14774/JKIID.2026.35.5.010 |
| Keywords |
Waldorf Kindergarten; Anthroposophy; Rudolf Steiner; Early Childhood Space; Organic Architecture |
| Abstract |
This study analyzes the spatial characteristics of Waldorfkindergarten Uberlingen, a Waldorf kindergarten newly built in Uberlingen, Germany, designed by the architect Matthias Kruppa and occupied in 2014, as an educational space for early childhood grounded in Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy. Previous studies on anthroposophical architecture have repeatedly applied the same expressive elements-geometry, transformation, color and ornament-derived from Steiner’s own buildings and from school architecture for older children, and have therefore paid little attention to the developmental particularity of early childhood. According to Steiner’s theory of development, the first seven years of life are governed by sensory perception, imitation and the will, so that a young child requires an environment of enclosure and security rather than intellectual stimulation. Taking this developmental stage as the upper analytical axis, this study reinterprets the building through three categorieslayout, form and spaceusing primary sources including architectural drawings, satellite images, on-site photographs and the kindergarten’s building diary. The results are as follows. First, in terms of layout, the building follows the slope and the curves of the site in an organic linear arrangement, with a central entrance hall acting as a branching point that connects the group rooms and mediates the transition between inside and outside. Second, in terms of form, the wave-like roof, the curved walls and the organically shaped fences and openings embody the principle of transformation and the guiding design idea ‘Aus dem Schoß der Mutter Erde’, giving the child a sense of being enclosed and protected. Third, in terms of space, soft lazure-painted walls, natural materials, warm indirect light admitted through clerestory windows and skylights, and cave-like play niches created with draped cloths realize the qualities of enclosure and security appropriate to early childhood. In addition, the study examines how play niches, semi-outdoor spaces and a transitional entrance hall can be realized within the Korean regulations on childcare facilities, fire safety and building codes, and proposes concrete application measures. This study is significant in that, unlike previous research, it verifies with primary sources how anthroposophical architectural theory is transformed and embodied at the scale of the young child. |