The details: The neurodiverse children who attend Fun Maze rehabilitation center in Caracas are invited into an ethereal, pastel blue-hued world decked out with terrazzo flooring and curved and biomorphic geometries. "During [our] research, we found that bright colors boost creativity, productivity, and self-awareness, and from a functional aspect, it helped us reflect sunlight and generate a fresh ambiance inside," explains architect and artist Julio Kowalenko, cofounder at local studio Atelier Caracas. Crowning Fun Maze-which meanders through doctor's offices, therapy rooms, and common areas-is a skylit roof built on metal trusses. "The space had no windows, so we had to be very precise in how we used natural light," says Kowalenko. The site, the annex of a kindergarten housed in a midcentury abode built in the style of modernist architect Carlos Raul Villanueva, posed the biggest challenge. "We proposed circular perforations with acrylic domes at differing heights, and light bulbs of exaggerated dimensions decorate the wall surfaces, constructing alternative perspectives and specific 'universes' that generate the sensation of being inside a spaceship," says Kowalenko.
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