Nishiurawa Kindergarten
| Architect | Kikkawa takuya／NASCA |
|---|---|
| Usage | Kindergarten |
| Structure | S |
| Size | 2F |
| Site area | 2,218.54㎡ |
| Area | 1,299.64㎡ |
| Completion | 2024.8 |
The site is in Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, and this plan is for a certified childcare facility to be built in a residential area. A kindergarten was opened here in 1966, when the surrounding area was still rice fields, and the existing building has been repeatedly expanded and remodeled, but due to its aging, it was decided to rebuild it as a transition to a "certified childcare facility with a combination of preschool and nursery
school."Surprisingly, the garden is a space that is surrounded by the homes of those involved with the facility. It is a sight that reminds one of the "shape of a community based on local ties," as the surrounding buildings watch over the children playing in the garden.While the surrounding environment has changed over time, it looked like a village surrounding the garden, and I felt a sense of security. The current reconstruction plan aims to take advantage of this "sense of security" and softly envelop the garden and interior space with a thick, generous roof.The aim of the new building is to create a spatial composition that creates a sense of unity by including the homes of those involved adjacent to the garden, and the layout of the building was determined by drawing the terrace of the new building with curves that take on the rhythm of the neighboring houses. Everyone is immersed in memories when they visit the school they graduated from. However, as we become adults, our childhood memories fade. Therefore, we hoped that the school building would retain the memories and sensibilities of the children for a long time. We wanted the architectural form to be iconic, with an abstract level like the pictures that children draw with thick lines using crayons. As a result, we arrived at a cloud-like motif. Although the expression changes depending on the viewing angle, the shapes of the clouds drawn by the children are diverse, and we hope that they will live their lives cherishing this diversity and sensibilities. We are also working to pass on memories by reusing materials from the existing school building in various places within the school. We also hope that when the children visit this place, they will surround the schoolyard and have a local-style scene of spending time together with the current children and teachers.
Photos: Asakawa Satoshi