Kindle Garden is Singapore's first inclusive preschool, accepting typically-developing children as well as those with Down Syndrome, visual and auditory impairments, and needs at various points on the autism spectrum.

One of the challenges for Lekker Architects when designing the school was creating a space that could attract parents of neurotypical kids.

The goal was for anyone coming through the door to not feel the weight of its medical history, but rather see an open-ended environment that considers every need as special.

All elements of the school were designed with inclusiveness in mind. Free-form teaching spaces cater to each child’s physical and cognitive profile. Therapeutic elements were demedicalised, and classrooms designed to be inviting and playful.

“The great thing about inclusion is that if you get it right, you don’t have to use the word inclusion anymore, says Joshua Comaroff, co-design lead at Lekker Architects, “Like it just becomes part of the ether, the technology, the culture. What we’re trying to work toward in all these projects is our own obsolescence.”