Ceremonial inauguration of the daycare center in Friedensstraße

With around 922 square meters of floor space, the children have plenty of room to let off steam. A central hall connects all the functional rooms and serves as a meeting place. There is plenty of space here for arriving in the morning, free play and the parents' corner. "The new building has not only created an attractive place for children to learn and play. Children can develop their social skills and make new friends here. We are also expanding the space available at the daycare center: A further 25 children will be accommodated in Friedensstrasse. We are thus further expanding the childcare facilities in our city," says Sabine Groß, Head of the Children and Youth Department and Mayor.

The five identically designed group areas with their own sanitary facilities are spread over the two floors. In addition to the group rooms, there is a multi-purpose room on the first floor for play and exercise activities, which also includes a storage area for chairs and equipment. On the upper floor there is a room for arts and crafts.

All group rooms have direct access to the outside: on the first floor to the outdoor area and on the upper floor to a balcony that runs around the outside. In addition to extending the play area, this serves as an escape route, rain protection and shade and leads to the outdoor area via two staircases.

In the future, the first floor can also be used for groups with children under the age of three, making the daycare center more flexible. An awning was also erected in the outdoor area to shade the sand play area.

Accessibility played a central role in the design of the new building and the outdoor area. Level access, an accessible toilet for adults and one for children on the first floor and a platform lift for wheelchair users ensure unrestricted access to all rooms and play areas. There is a barrier-free route for wheelchair users in the outdoor area. "All children benefit from playing together. The outdoor play area is designed so that all children can play there. Inclusion is an important step towards a child-friendly city in which every child has the same opportunities," adds Groß. A mud table and a row of seating stones with recesses for wheelchairs promote inclusion.

"To compensate for the somewhat hidden location in the cul-de-sac, the upper floor was deliberately made of wood and turns slightly into the street space. This makes the daycare building recognizable from afar," explains Xenia Kooiker, Project Manager of Building Construction Management at the Office for Planning and Building.

A key design objective was to avoid overheating in summer. "The protruding roof and the orientation of the group areas and main usable areas to the east or west are particularly helpful here," says Alexandra Ihls, project manager at OPG. In addition, the openings to the south were reduced to the bare minimum. The common rooms can also cool down at night thanks to ventilation flaps. Skylights in the central hall provide daylight and are positioned in such a way that they protect against direct sunlight.

The old building at Friedensstraße 83 was built in 1913 and renovated in the 1980s. It no longer met the spatial requirements of a facility for early childhood education and care. It was also in urgent need of renovation. The city councillors decided to build a new building on December 10, 2020. Due to the need for space at IGS Lindenfeld for primary school places, the daycare center was given a new location. The new building added a fifth group of 25 children to the daycare center. In addition to the new solution for the daycare center, the design of the outdoor area was also part of the construction project. The total area of the building site is around 1,760 square meters.

The city of Offenbach am Main has been continuously investing in modern school and daycare buildings since 2007. This is due to rising pupil numbers and the goal of creating optimal learning conditions for future generations. With pro rata support from the federal and state governments, over 404 million euros have already been invested in the construction and renovation of schools and daycare centers since 2007. Today, around 50 percent of the approximately 18,700 pupils learn in completely new or fully renovated school buildings. A further 20 percent attend partially renovated facilities, while 15 percent attend schools that are currently being renovated or extended. Of a total of 2,472 daycare children in municipal facilities, 80 percent attend new or completely renovated daycare centers. Construction projects worth around 321 million euros are currently being planned or under construction for schools.

The Building Construction Management department of the Office for Planning and Building is responsible for the measures as the owner's representative and client. It is responsible for the planning and development of the projects. The city council has commissioned OPG Offenbacher Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, a subsidiary of Stadtwerke Offenbach, to manage all refurbishment and new construction projects. OPG implements many urban development projects on behalf of the city. In addition to project management for the construction and renovation of schools and daycare centers, these include the development and marketing of the port area and the Innovation Campus.