"The building has turned out remarkably well - it's beautiful with excellent acoustics," says Jónína Einarsdóttir, preschool director at Stakkaborg, which recently added a new building to its property. The building received the name Múmíndalur (Moomin Valley) following a democratic vote among the preschool children.
With this expansion, Stakkaborg has increased enrollment by 30 children, bringing the preschool's total to 100. "We're incredibly pleased that the building was constructed on-site, which allowed us to preserve almost all the trees," says Jónína. The project was carefully executed with significant emphasis placed on creating a high-quality indoor environment. The ventilation is computer-controlled, adjusting air exchange rates based on room occupancy and carbon dioxide levels.
Name suggestions were requested from the two oldest age groups at the preschool as well as from the parent community. "We received numerous nominations, but the final vote came down to Hvergiland, Múmíndalur and Ævintýraland. A secret ballot was conducted where the children selected one of these three names. Múmíndalur was chosen - a suggestion that originally came from the children and was also submitted by parents," explains Jónína regarding the name selection.
She says the name fits perfectly, as the building is elongated like a valley with many small rooms that function well alongside corridors that serve as excellent play areas. "Staff step counts have jumped during the day since this is such a well-designed space with corridors that work remarkably well for children's play activities."
