YNS / Yamaikarashi Nursery School
  • jury winner
    School Building of the Year
©Koji Fujii(toreal)

Creating a nursery school like a village and fostering a village like a nursery school

EA Research and Design Office / Takeru Shoji as Architects

The Center for Early Childhood Education and Care (nursery school) aims to achieve the principles of engaging “naturally with nature”.

Located at the end of a winding pathway atop of a sand dune, this single-story wooden building provides a diverse base for children filled with characterful rooms and recesses. The "construction of a large childcare environment" that extends beyond the nursery rooms, the building, and the nursery yard to the surrounding area as a single continuum, and the "establishment of a mutually watchful relationship” in which the whole village is a part of there for the children's learning and play, and while the children revitalize the village. That is what was aimed for.

photo_credit ©Koji Fujii(toreal)
©Koji Fujii(toreal)
photo_credit ©Koji Fujii(toreal)
©Koji Fujii(toreal)

Who or what is this nursery school for?

Childcare researchers and workers, parents, and local residents held a series of workshops to discuss the benefits of reconstructing a nursery school on the suburban site. With an aging population and declining birthrate, emphasis was put on how a nursery school could benefit both the children and the surrounding area. The participants concluded on a vision "to create a nursery school like a village and foster a village like a nursery school.

photo_credit ©Koji Fujii(toreal)
©Koji Fujii(toreal)

The "vaguely bounded, expanding nursery school” would allow children to move leisurely between interior rooms, exterior playgrounds, and the village itself. Additionally, the nursery school could be open to villagers as a place for community interaction and visitations.

photo_credit ©Koji Fujii(toreal)
©Koji Fujii(toreal)

Under the site conditions, large timbers were prohibited from being transported, and so wooden trusses were built on the field by combining small timbers to create large nursery spaces. Trusses with apexes facing up and down are combined to create a series of truss roofs. Moving the intersection of the trusses from the top of the partition walls allows for a more expressive environment in each of the rooms, while an open space above the partition gives them a sense of connection.

photo_credit ©Koji Fujii(toreal)
©Koji Fujii(toreal)

The winding, narrow streets that characterize the village are drawn into the nursery school and made into exterior corridors that continue to the back of the building so that the children's smiling faces will appear as if they are in the village.

photo_credit ©Koji Fujii(toreal)
©Koji Fujii(toreal)

A childcare support office and deck plaza are situated in front of the building, which will be used for local farmers' markets and food truck events, mixing community activities with nursery school activities

photo_credit ©Koji Fujii(toreal)
©Koji Fujii(toreal)

In addition, air conditioners and total heat exchangers are installed under the prefectural cedar flooring, creating an underfloor air chamber, so that children are not exposed to direct airflow, but radiant heat works on their bodies, creating comfortable conditions for learning and play.

photo_credit ©Koji Fujii(toreal)
©Koji Fujii(toreal)

As time has passed since the nursery school’s opening, encouraged by the fluidity of the cross-sectional layout of the grounds, children have socialized more between their age groups. Additionally, as the children spend more time outside, the number of senior citizens out for a walk watching them has increased

photo_credit ©Koji Fujii(toreal)
©Koji Fujii(toreal)

Under the eaves of the nursery school building, parents engage with one another between drop-offs and pick-ups.

photo_credit ©Koji Fujii(toreal)
©Koji Fujii(toreal)

This "vaguely bounded nursery school " is creating flexibility and expansion in children's learning and play, responding to everyone's wishes and beginning to create a new everyday life in the village.

photo_credit ©Koji Fujii(toreal)
©Koji Fujii(toreal)

It seems that the very seeds of " creating a nursery school like a village and fostering a village like a nursery school" are beginning to sprout.

Caption
Caption
Caption
Caption

Read story in 日本語

  • jury winner
    School Building of the Year
Project Spotlight
Product Spotlight
News
Midland Metropolitan University Hospital sets new standard for clinical healthcare design
7 Nov 2024 News
Midland Metropolitan University Hospital sets new standard for clinical healthcare design

Architectural studios HKS, Cagni Williams, and Sonnemann Toon have completed the Midland Metropolita... More

EovaStudio uses Baguette Oval glazed terracotta facade from Tempio in sports pavilion renovation
6 Nov 2024 News
EovaStudio uses Baguette Oval glazed terracotta facade from Tempio in sports pavilion renovation

Seville-based architectural firm EovaStudio has renovated and improved a sports pavilion located in... More

25 best architecture firms in South Africa
6 Nov 2024 News
25 best architecture firms in South Africa

Located at the southernmost tip of the African continent, South Africa is home to a varied topograph... More

Porseleinen Hof by Orange Architects connect modern architecture with the city’s industrial past
5 Nov 2024 News
Porseleinen Hof by Orange Architects connect modern architecture with the city’s industrial past

Porseleinen Hof by Orange Architects is an innovative housing development in Delft (NL) that redefin... More

Primary school in Au, Austria by Bernardo Bader Architekten recalls traditional approach to building in wood
5 Nov 2024 News
Primary school in Au, Austria by Bernardo Bader Architekten recalls traditional approach to building in wood

Austrian architectural studio Bernardo Bader Architekten has completed a new primary school in Au, a... More

Key recent projects by Dietrich | Untertrifaller
5 Nov 2024 News
Key recent projects by Dietrich | Untertrifaller

Dietrich | Untertrifaller is an international architecture firm known for its sustainable and contex... More

25 best track light manufacturers
4 Nov 2024 Specification
25 best track light manufacturers

Track lights are versatile lighting systems that offer flexible and focused illumination for various... More

Mixed wood and concrete production hall in Austria nestles neatly in a picturesque village setting
4 Nov 2024 News
Mixed wood and concrete production hall in Austria integrates into its picturesque village setting

DI Simon Moosbrugger Architekt ZT has designed a new production hall facility for Austrian company T... More