The Meadows, Nottingham, is an area comprising higher than average levels of poverty, and child deprivation is a particular issue within the local community. To improve children’s prospects for the future, education is key, and a community space which incorporates access to early years education in a novel way, free at the point of entry, would be a way of supporting this.

This project aims to enrich early education and lives of young people by designing a building which incorporates a Nursery and Music School which link to one another through sound and music and includes a music venue for use by the wider community.

The architectural design within the building encourages children to be creative and expressive through their own exploration of music and play, and in interaction with the building itself, which provides spaces dedicated to stages of cognitive development to support personal development both intellectually and practically to promote a sense of general wellbeing and self-esteem.