Design of a Children's Center with an Emphasis on the Use of Natural Light and Proper Ventilation to Enhance Environmental Quality and Reduce Energy Consumption

The rapid growth of urban population and the increase in energy consumption in the building sector have highlighted the necessity of reconsidering the design of living spaces, especially educational and childcare environments, more than ever. Children, due to their particular physical and psychological characteristics, require environments that, in addition to providing safety, tranquility, and human scale, can also create a foundation for their cognitive, emotional, and social development. In this regard, natural light and proper ventilation, as two key factors, not only contribute to improving living quality, enhancing mood, concentration, and reducing anxiety, but also play a decisive role in reducing dependence on fossil energies and increasing building sustainability. The present study, aiming to explain the importance of these two components in the architecture of children's centers, while reviewing theoretical foundations and previous studies and analyzing international case studies, seeks to provide practical strategies for integrating child-centered architecture principles and climatic design. The results show that the use of strategies such as skylights, cross-ventilation openings, central courtyards, vegetation, and scalable design, in addition to reducing energy consumption, creates fresher, safer, and more instructive spatial qualities for children. Finally, this study emphasizes the necessity of integrating the three fields of sustainable architecture, climatic design, and child development psychology, and makes it possible to achieve low-energy and human-centered patterns for the future of educational and childcare environments.

کلیدواژه ها:

Children's Center ، Sustainable Design ، Natural Light ، Natural Ventilation ، Environmental Quality ، Child-Centered Architecture