Higashitateishi Nursery school
- Year
- 2021
- Category
- Institutional · Kindergartens
- Type
- Educational
- Status
- Built
- Location
- Katsushika City, Japan
This nursery school is located in a dense urban neighborhood in Tokyo’s Katsushika ward. A run-down public nursery school was being rebuilt and transferred to private ownership, and a competition was held to select an architect. We submitted a proposal in collaboration with a company applying to take over management. The competition required that the design take into consideration the school’s history and environment as well as the complex needs of contemporary society. Our winning proposal met these requirements while also containing four overlapping functions that ensure the facility will continue to be loved and used by the community for many years to come: it is a “house” where children can play freely in a setting their instructors and families know is safe; a “park” where all students can move their bodies and develop their minds; a “school” where they can learn to appreciate the value of life and food; and a “fort” to protect the community during flooding of the nearby raised-bed river and other disasters.
This nursery school is located in a dense urban neighborhood in Tokyo’s Katsushika ward. A run-down public nursery school was being rebuilt and transferred to private ownership, and a competition was held to select an architect. We submitted a proposal in collaboration with a company applying to take over management. The competition required that the design take into consideration the school’s history and environment as well as the complex needs of contemporary society. Our winning proposal met these requirements while also containing four overlapping functions that ensure the facility will continue to be loved and used by the community for many years to come: it is a “house” where children can play freely in a setting their instructors and families know is safe; a “park” where all students can move their bodies and develop their minds; a “school” where they can learn to appreciate the value of life and food; and a “fort” to protect the community during flooding of the nearby raised-bed river and other disasters.