Date: June – July 2025
Location: School Escola La Gavina (Picanya, València)
Objective: Design and construction of a new playhouse for the playground at school Escola La Gavina, as the first restoration and improvement project following the 2024 DANA storm.
Design and production: Makea Coop.
Photos: Makea
The school Escola La Gavina, an educational cooperative located in Picanya, suffered significant damage as a result of the cold drop that severely affected various areas of Spain in the autumn of 2024, especially in the region of l’Horta Sud in Valencia, where the school is located. One of the children’s favourite features, the playhouse in the nursery playground, was left unusable.
After emergency measures were taken to allow school activities to resume, the educational community decided to promote new interventions with the aim not only of repairing, but also of rethinking the school space from a pedagogical and transformative perspective. The reconstruction of the playhouse represents the first action in this process, which will be extended in future phases through joint work with the educational community. This project is also part of Makea’s ‘Remoblar post-DANA’ line of work, which proposes strategies for improving and activating spaces after climate emergencies.
The new playhouse is not intended to be an exact reproduction of the previous one, but rather a reinvented design that responds to the current needs of nursery school students. Conceived as a space for symbolic play, exploration and interaction, the playhouse is designed to stimulate imagination, movement and interaction.
It is a 2.5 × 2 m structure, raised on platforms that multiply its possibilities for use and circulation. It incorporates balconies, open access points and nooks and crannies that encourage ‘inside and outside’ dynamics, with small openings that allow children to look, communicate and share from different perspectives. The design seeks to create a welcoming space with multiple ways for children to make it their own.
The project was carried out entirely by Makea, from design to manufacture and installation in the school playground. The structure is built with certified, heat-treated wood for outdoor use, ensuring its strength and durability. The entire project complies with regulatory safety requirements for children’s play areas.
The new cabin restores a central space for play and imagination to the playground of the school Escola La Gavina, recovering its symbolic and emotional value after the damage caused by the DANA. It also becomes the starting point for a broader process of transforming the school environment, which will be developed together with families, students and teachers starting next year.
The cabin
