In December 2023 a proposal was submitted to an art-for-architecture competition for the Hochsteinstrolche day nursery in Dahn. The Hochstein is a rock formation close to the building. The design proposal relates to these natural surroundings with its title “Hochstein-Land“, placing an emblematic object in the public space in front of the day nursery.
Lines with the quality of a signet – colours that make a signal – an object transmitting a sign that can be seen from a distance. A sign that reinforces identification with the Hochsteinstrolche day nursery. For the children. For the parents. For the staff. A visual magnet for the children. The promise of a place where they can run around, play catch, and invent a host of imaginative games.
Closed shapes and the colour red stand for the Hochstein rock formation. Open shapes and the colour green stand for forest and for growth around the rock. This place is home. Beyond this, closed shapes and the colour red stand for the framework of being cared for and sheltered. For firm support. Open shapes and the colour green stand for the urge to grow. For curiosity. For individual development. This, too, is home.
The view of the local Hochstein rock is made into a metaphor for perspectives in life – perspectives for the future. Hochstein-Land has no boundaries.