Showa Gakuin Kindergarten

Takeshi Taira

• Arquitectos Paisajistas

A one-room kindergarten that stimulates children's five senses while nurturing their sensitivity

This kindergarten reconstruction project was undertaken for Showa Gakuin, a comprehensive private educational institution that includes a kindergarten, an elementary school, a junior high school, a high school and a junior college.

photo_credit Takeshi Taira — Takeshi Taira

Emphasis on creating a safe and secure space

The problem for the existing two-story building was the inability to monitor second floor classrooms from the first floor staff room. The multi-room layout was therefore designed as a skip floor, with the classrooms on the lower level, the playroom on the upper level, and the staff room and elevator entrance on the middle level. Walls and furniture are made of wood with rounded corners, and sliding doors are equipped with gaps and rubber to prevent accidents that might result in pinched fingers, etc.

A learning space that stimulates children's five senses

The narrow site meant that outdoor space for a ground-level playground could not be secured as per legal requirements, so a portion of the rooftop was also used. A green hill utilizing the excavated soil was used to connect the rooftop portion to the outdoor garden. This resulted in the creation of a three-dimensional outdoor playground space. The facility’s symbolic tree is integrated with the playground equipment to enable the children to experience playing with the tree.

Indoors, an open area with a library corner was placed in the center of the indoor space. The skip floor and planning that facilitates movement were used to create a space that allows for monitoring the entire preschool building and for children's activities to be initiated. A cave space was created in the lower part of the library corner, providing a small hideout for children to play and read together.

The interior design of the kindergarten was intended to be memorable to highly sensitive children through all five senses, from its wooden roof structure and large wooden exposed structural frame to the concrete-and-wood finishing touches. More than 30 discoverable devices and playful activities were incorporated into the site to create an environment that triggers intellectual curiosity.

Pre- and post-completion surveys (using pedometers) showed a 1.7x increase in child activity.

In keeping with traditional Japanese architectural style, the building features deep, low eaves to shield from strong summer sunlight while allowing warm winter sunlight to penetrate classrooms. Automatic windows in the upper part of the building improve ventilation throughout the building due to the difference in elevation and the prevailing breeze induction effect. By utilizing geothermal heat in the semi-underground area, a comfortable school building was created that needs no intermediate season heating or cooling equipment.

A domestic air conditioner was placed under the sink area, and a system was installed to switch between blowing air under and over the floor to create an environment considerate of children's low (height) activity areas. The building itself represents an opportunity for environmental learning, with its natural ventilation and lighting, geothermal heat and rainwater utilization, misting effects and other eco- friendly architectural features.