Delve director and co-founder, Alex Raher, discusses the untapped potential of transforming empty commercial spaces into early years educational settings

In England we have one of the highest childcare costs in Europe – putting immense pressure on working parents to decide whether it is affordable to return to work or juggle childcare themselves.

In addition to this, most local councils are worried about their ability to cater for future demand.

Earlier this June Labour pledged 3,000 new nurseries for the UK, a welcome target as we desperately need more nurseries to accommodate an ever-growing demand.

But, in order to deliver these new spaces in the most-cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way – we should look to retrofit existing commercial buildings into beautiful, fun nurseries for families, communities, and children.

Retain and re-use

In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of construction, retrofit is now being pursued as the first option above the 20th-century model of demolish and rebuild.

Although this can be complicated for housing, the dynamic nature of how a nursery operates can lead to myriad different spaces being utilised.

A nursery can have split levels and mezzanines or make clever use of nooks and crannies and dropped ceilings, with giant joinery, climbing areas, and even soft tactile spaces for active play.

The ‘shell building’ needs basic services (M&E, ventilation, cooking space, and toilets) and the interior fit-out doesn’t have to be overly expensive.

A simple, child-led and tactile approach works best – using natural, sustainable materials and a subtle approach to colour and acoustics to create nurturing, not loud, spaces.

While not all nurseries have access to direct external space, it is always possible to consider light, greenery, and natural materials in the design.

The driving force

As an architect, designing nurseries is a joy and a privilege, with creative freedom to test, explore, and create educational spaces that might be too unconventional or awkward for other commercial businesses.

We started working in this sector after retrofitting a former doctors’ surgery into a thriving nursery in west London and have since developed our passion for using design to help new nurseries open or expand their businesses.

We also have first-hand experience of finding childcare space with our own families, which gives us empathy and a deeper understanding of the industry.

The driving force at the heart of a nursery is the teachers – the incredible people who are responsible for our children’s early education – and the role they play must not be underestimated.

We must also emphasise early years education is not ‘childcare’; it is the first step of the educational path; a critical few years where important motor and mental skills are catalysed.

Our design approach is to create spaces that nurture, embrace, and capture the bright imaginations of young people.

As a practice, we realised we could offer our skills to look at unlocking the potential of unusual sites across urban, suburban, and rural areas, and often conduct feasibility studies to assess the viability of a site for an acquisition or development.

One of our recent projects was the transformation of a former industrial warehouse, The Learning Tree, in Romford, east London, with a light, spacious, and sustainably driven fit-out to create a 120-place nursery.

The building is a success, not just with its local community, but also earning a coveted award from the Royal Institute of British Architects in May 2024.

Examples from other practices show how a simple design approach and creative thinking can transform existing buildings or re-purpose existing nursery sites.

Ilys Booker Centre was re-purposed this year by Perkins&Will, providing a much-needed new nursery that was previously in the basement of Grenfell Tower prior to the 2017 fire.

Focusing on light and nature, the designers have managed to create a dynamic space in a tight urban environment, which provides much better connection to the outside space.

It is an example of a simple approach to a nursery setting shaped by focusing outwards, using natural materials, and through extensive consultation with the local community.

Nature frames the outside views and little touches of art and colour connect the inside and outside.

In addition, Studio Egret West took the existing shell of the Park Hill development in Sheffield, to deliver a clever, compact nursery along a long rectangular footprint, installing playful joinery and exposing the concrete structure as part of the conservation approach.

And Alma-nac converted a grand Victorian house in Herne Hill, south east London, into a bustling new nursery, retaining the ‘residential’ feel of the building, but filling it with fun spaces for young minds to explore.

Untapped potential

When we look at empty commercial spaces, why not consider them for early-years educational provision?

Empty retail units could be re-provisioned as they have a simple entrance/exit arrangement that allows for careful management and safeguarding.

Natural light is a key factor so points to consider would be the ability for dual-aspect or double-height spaces, with rooflights to bring light down.

There is untapped potential to consider a nationwide retrofit strategy to transform under-used and poorly-performing commercial, residential, or retail spaces into nurseries.

The demand is there; and we need a call to action as an industry to shake things up and move this forward.

If a developer can zero-rate VAT on a building by demolishing rather than retaining the existing fabric – why can we not consider zero-rate VAT for deep retrofit?

Retrofit works for educational spaces and is our best approach to delivering nurseries that communities across the UK need.