A mountain to explore
Basset Bear House
Many moons ago, a former dairy was converted into sparse offices. These offices were turned into classrooms, and along the way a forward thinking school had an idea; they wanted to create a new space for their early years provision named Bassett Bear House. It needed to have its own distinct presence on the high street, whilst not losing the existing school's well established links to the community. Our creative process led us to the habitat of the bears, from the mountain peaks and caves, to the lower valleys where the winding river gathers driftwood from the forests. Natural earthy colours and materials gave a welcoming feel to their new forest nursery, whilst the bespoke play learning space in the "caves", "raspberry" lampshades, and real moss art delivered recognisable pops of nature. Some of the children who had previously used the rooms as classrooms were inspired to climb three stories and were blown away that it was the same space. The teachers and principal enjoyed the new clear identity we delivered for this truely unique learning environment.