Johannesburg-based Hubo Studio has received two Architizer A+Awards for the Redhill Early Learning Centre in Sandton. The project was selected as the Jury Winner in the Best Kindergarten category and the Popular Choice Winner in the Educational Interiors category, bringing international attention to contemporary educational architecture from South Africa.
A Child-Centred Learning Environment
The Redhill Early Learning Centre was conceived as more than a collection of classrooms. Guided by the Reggio Emilia educational model, its architecture supports learning through observation, exploration and social interaction. Hubo Studio approached the school as a miniature city in which children can gradually understand space, movement and community through everyday experience.
Instead of relying on rigid corridors and isolated rooms, the 2,641-square-metre building is organised as a network of connected learning environments. This arrangement gives children opportunities to choose different routes, discover new activities and interact with their surroundings. Architecture therefore becomes an active component of the learning process rather than a neutral container for education.
A Piazza at the Heart of the School
A central piazza forms the social centre of the early learning campus. Much like a civic square, it provides a recognisable meeting place where children, educators and families can gather. The space also helps establish orientation within the building, allowing younger users to understand how the different classrooms, studios and shared areas relate to one another.
Vertical ateliers introduce another layer of creative activity. These spaces encourage experimentation across different levels while giving the interior a stronger sense of visual connection. Together with adaptable learning areas, they create an environment capable of supporting quiet concentration, collaborative projects and informal play without treating each activity as a completely separate function.
Connecting Interior and Outdoor Learning
The relationship between inside and outside is central to the project. Learning spaces extend toward outdoor areas, enabling movement between protected interiors and open-air settings. This indoor-outdoor connection gives children greater freedom to explore changing light, weather, vegetation and material textures as part of their daily routines.
The design also responds to the physical scale and perspective of young children. Openings, circulation routes and gathering areas are arranged to make the school understandable without removing opportunities for discovery. This balance between clarity and curiosity helps create a setting where children can develop independence while remaining connected to educators and classmates.
International Recognition for South African Design
The two awards recognise different aspects of the same project. The jury distinction places the Redhill Early Learning Centre among internationally reviewed kindergarten designs, while the public vote reflects broader support from clients, collaborators, families and the surrounding community. Together, they highlight both the project’s architectural quality and its relevance to the people who use and support it.
The Architizer A+Awards annually recognise projects across architecture, interiors and design through decisions made by an international jury and a global public vote. For Hubo Studio, receiving honours through both channels reinforces the idea that educational architecture should combine spatial ambition with a meaningful understanding of its community.
Completed over an 18-month construction period with a reported value of ZAR 49.1 million, the Redhill Early Learning Centre demonstrates how a school can become a landscape for curiosity, creativity and connection. Through this project and its two Architizer A+Awards, Hubo Studio presents a distinctly South African contribution to the evolving international conversation about early learning design.
Technical Sheet
| Project Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Project Name | Redhill Early Learning Centre |
| Architecture Practice | Hubo Studio |
| Location | Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Building Area | 2,641 m2 |
| Construction Value | ZAR 49.1 million |
| Construction Duration | 18 months |
| Building Use | Early Learning Centre |
| Educational Model | Reggio Emilia |
| Award | Architizer A+Awards – Jury Winner, Best Kindergarten |
| Additional Award | Architizer A+Awards – Popular Choice Winner, Educational Interiors |