During a mid-afternoon play period at Solhuset Nursery ("sunhouse" in English), rosy-cheeked children run energetically through the light-drenched rooms of the 13,000-square-foot facility 15 miles north of Copenhagen.

This being Scandinavia in January, the days are short; in fact, the sun will set in less than two hours. Nevertheless, abundant sunlight enters deep into the building until the day terminates, showing how apt the name is, on the one hand, while warming the inhabitants on the other.