Nant-y-Cwm Steiner Kindergarten

The Nant-y-Cwm Steiner Kindergarten is a building of irregular shape, dating to the late 20th century, situated on a sloping site descending from the roadside towards the riverbank. The curving walls are constructed of rendered stone, splaying outwards to meet the ground. The walls are mostly red-washed, with a cream section facing the road along the northwest flank. An undulating green roof, planted with long grass, connects two main domes and partially obscures the chimney stack. A continuous timber fascia runs below the roof membrane. The building is generally single storey, although on its southeastern side, down the slope, there is a basement storeroom accessed via an exterior door with a rendered brick arch, flanked by small windows leading to cellars beneath the classroom above.

The northeast-facing entrance is recessed under the eaves, situated between two outward curves and approached through woodland. A similarly recessed rear door facing southwest opens onto a platform with concrete seats sized for infants, and a side gate leads to the road. Customised, non-orthogonal, double-glazed windows are set into the larger openings, including two large, three-light, roughly eye-shaped irregular hexagons, each a classroom facing the river. A five-panel arched clerestory window serves the washrooms facing the road, while three arched panels curve with the wall to the right of the main entrance, paired with a quadrilateral window on the opposite side. An irregular pentagonal window is high up on the southeast side. Smaller, deep-set ovoid windows, mostly with tinted glass and with rendered brick arches above, are dotted across the exterior. Sills are of pitched flagstone and slate. The timber doors are rounded and chamfered to soften their shape, and both front and rear doors incorporate a large ovoid single pane.

The entrance leads to a short, leftward curving corridor with a staff boot room on the right, which then opens to a central hallway lit by a high window and featuring a low bench and timber coat hooks. This vestibule area is floored with red square tiles. Storerooms and rest rooms are located off to the right, with steps descending into the two classrooms ahead and to the left.

Both classrooms are essentially circular, featuring high domed ceilings. However, the side walls are folded into a sequence of small alcoves and niches, designed for collective learning in the centre of the room and individual play around the perimeter. The building has rough, handmade plasterwork painted white throughout. Timber floors are present, and two “corners” in the second classroom have removable floor panels with ladder access to child-scaled cellar spaces lit by a small, coloured glass window. Each classroom has a kitchen and a low-height fireplace accessible by children, alongside various small niches in the walls for placing objects. Exterior timber doors are curved and chamfered, and several incorporate small, irregularly shaped windows at adult eye level. Hand-carved door latches designed for ease of use by children are also present. Interior carpentry and finishes appear largely unaltered from photographs published by the architect shortly after construction.