Earth-coloured ceramic tiles cover the roofs and walls of this nursery located on the outskirts of Paris, which is designed by French studio Nomade Architectes to look like a cluster of buildings. More about Brown ceramic shingles cover Nomade Architectes' village-inspired nursery near Paris
Chinese studio MAD has draped a "skin" of white asphalt shingles over the wooden structure of an old house in Japan's Aichi Prefecture to create a kindergarten with a curving roofline (+ slideshow). More about MAD transforms Japanese house into curvaceous kindergarten with a slide along one wall
Architect Yasutaka Yoshimura has completed a kindergarten on the site of a disused warehouse in Japan, featuring a tent-like structure wrapped in a translucent membrane that recalls the shape of the original building. (+ slideshow). More about Yasutaka Yoshimura wraps warehouse in tent fabric to create Fukumasu Base kindergarten
A tree-like structure connects each level of this children's nursery in east London, designed by Lipton Plant Architects to reference the fictional Swiss Family Robinson (+ slideshow). More about Lipton Plant adds indoor treehouse to Bath House nursery in Hackney
Slides and climbing frames connect brightly coloured playrooms in this kindergarten and play space by Crossboundaries, set within a formerly derelict building in Zhengzhou, China (+ slideshow). More about Crossboundaries converts derelict building into kindergarten and play centre
Tokyo studio Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop created stepped levels inside this nursery in Japan's Chiba Prefecture to form a large, open space across the sloping site (+ slideshow). More about Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop's kindergarten is designed as a large set of steps
Roughly cut wooden planks clad classrooms arranged around a central glazed atrium at this nursery, set in a forested suburb of Hamburg, Germany (+ slideshow). More about Kraus Schoenberg's woodland nursery wraps around a small courtyard garden
Japanese studios Hibino Sekkei and Youji no Shiro have returned to a kindergarten building in Kanagawa Prefecture they designed 42 years ago, updating it to suit modern teaching styles (+ movie). More about Hibino Sekkei and Youji no Shiro's kindergarten features house-shaped reading nooks
Walls with built-in flowerpots and a staircase that functions as a play space both feature at this Seoul kindergarten by local architect Jungmin Nam (+ slideshow). More about Flower Kindergarten by Jungmin Nam features curvy classrooms and colourful corridors
Black and green letters decorate the corrugated metal cladding of this kindergarten located in southwest Spain by Gabriel Verd Arquitectos (+ slideshow). More about Wavy concrete roof shelters corrugated metal kindergarten by Gabriel Verd in Spain
A rainbow-coloured facade shaped like a row of houses fronts this school dining hall in southeast England, designed by UK studios De Rosee Sa and PMR to reference the stories of Roald Dahl (+ slideshow). More about School dining hall by De Rosee Sa and PMR recreates Fantastic Mr Fox's underground village
Each of the small house-like volumes that make up this Copenhagen kindergarten were designed by Danish firm COBE to look like caricatures of homes with peaked roofs as drawn by children (+ slideshow). More about COBE's Frederiksvej Kindergarten is based on children's drawings
German studio Von M has completed a slatted timber building with a fragmented roofline to house a kindergarten in the German city of Ludwigsburg (+ slideshow). More about Alternating roofs break down scale of Von M's slatted timber kindergarten
Brightly coloured stripes cover one face of this bulky concrete community complex in Lille, which was designed by architect Julien De Smedt to host facilities for the "three ages of mankind" (+ slideshow). More about Julien De Smedt's angular concrete youth centre in Lille features a colourful striped wall
Swiss architect Omar Trinca has added a concrete extension to a 19th-century villa in Geneva, creating more space for the kindergarten that now occupies it (+ slideshow). More about Raw concrete contrasts with 19th-century details at Le Gazouillis kindergarten
Pierre-Alain Dupraz Architecte chose exposed concrete for this cross-shaped kindergarten and crèche in Switzerland, giving it an austere appearance (+ slideshow). More about Pierre-Alain Dupraz houses Swiss kindergarten within quartet of concrete blocks
Architect Junya Ishigami designed partitions with assorted curving shapes for the cloud-inspired interior of this nursery, located inside a high-rise in Atsugi, Japan (photos by Edmund Sumner + slideshow). More about Junya Ishigami creates Cloud Garden nursery with cloud-shaped walls inside a high-rise block
These three corrugated zinc and galvanised steel cabins by Graal Architecture provide a stilted reading room and sports hall for a nursery school in western Paris (+ slideshow). More about Graal Architecture adds trio of corrugated metal cabins to a kindergarten in France
The sheltered entrance to this craggy school canteen building in France is fronted with a "forest" of slender white columns (+ slideshow). More about Le Roc Canteen by D'Houndt+Bajart is designed as a cross between a treehouse and a cave
Set against a background of mature trees in rural Portugal, this primary school is separated into a series of brick structures intended to help fragment the building and lessen its impact on the landscape (+ slideshow). More about Brick blocks hold separate classrooms at Fonte de Angeão School by Miguel Marcelino