ARIDO Award: Gan Shalom Pre-school
Guided by a deeply empathetic and user-focused approach, this design approach resulted in reimagining a preschool as both a learning environment rooted in creativity, inclusion and community within an active synagogue. The vision centred on supporting early childhood development through sensory-rich, curiosity-driven spaces while reinforcing cultural identity and community values.
Category: LEARN
Interior Designer: Elizabeth Ormonde, ARIDO
Design Firm: Turner Fleischer
Design Team: Lisa Tomada, ARIDO
Photographer: Riley Snelling
Five immersive classrooms – Art, Baking, STEM, Discovery, and Reading – support imaginative play and provide a unique pedagogical experience all while meeting the functional needs of a dynamic early learning curriculum. Integration of the preschool’s educational function within the broader synagogue context, reinforces its role as both a place of learning and a centre for community connection.
The break from conventional preschool aesthetics avoids primary colour schemes and traditional motifs in favour of a fresh, contemporary visual language.
The result is a preschool that does more than meet functional needs – it reflects the values of its community, invites curiosity and collaboration, and elevates the experience of early childhood education through thoughtful, intentional design.
Text by: The Interior Designer
