“small pond” Nursery / Naf Architect & Design
Textual content description supplied by the architects. Kamimachi SIZEN-NO-KUNI Day Care Middle “small pond” is an affiliate of Day Care Middle “small village” accomplished in 2014 by the identical consumer. “small village” was designed to function a future small village the place individuals of varied era and tradition collect and mingle within the context of a local people in Tadao, Machida metropolis, a suburban space in western Tokyo.
On this challenge, we carried out a fieldwork to check geography, historical past and concrete planning of the neighborhood, a densely populated residential district within the central Tokyo, which was once wooded space by a creek 100 years in the past. The premises is on a lowland the place rainwater streams in and a creek runs in culvert underneath the entrance street. We discovered that this space has at all times had hydrophilic nature. The width of the entrance street is vast though it’s not a principal street by way of city planning nor the district will not be industrial (likely as a result of it was once a creek), leaving uncommon open house towards the sky across the premises. Likening the title of the opposite affiliate day care middle, its idea/ title was selected “small pond”, in a hope that youngsters be spontaneous as water gushing out from pond.
Determinant component in design conception was participation of Mr. Makoto Aoyama because the principal of at the present time care middle, who was invited by a board chairperson of Tokokai, a social welfare company, Mr. Koryo Saito, the proprietor of this challenge. Mr. Aoyama has been an energetic practitioner of kid care in numerous fields, equivalent to speaker at seminars, occasion planning, writing essays whereas working as nursery workers at a non-registered day-care facility in Yokohama. His perception that “day care facilities are basically not needed for taking good care of youngsters as youngsters have potential to develop on their very own. Day care facilities are required as there isn’t a place in a group for kids to get collectively and study on their very own” led us to rethink raison d’etre of day care middle. Our response to the target of at the present time care middle was to supply a spot the place “group raises youngsters”.
We found it was essential to boost the standard of nursing and create good relations with neighbors by way of interviewing Mr. Aoyama on his nursing methodology (which has emphasis on conferences run by youngsters), dialogue with neighbors and nurses, and finding out data gained by the fieldwork. To be able to obtain the target, we thought it essential to create a spot to the place youngsters and adults really feel “safe” and likewise present alternative to really feel “nature” equivalent to earth, greenery, gentle, wind, heat and coldness.
As design parts to create “safe” feeling, we employed beneath:
– Constructing format to create buffer zone between the neighbors
– Backyard format which preserves open sky sooner or later
– Exterior wall recess to present house for open passage
– Frontage and top of residential constructing
– Hipped roof to ease stress
As design parts to create numerous connections with “nature”, we employed beneath:
– Each nursing room to have distinctive spatial composition to create totally different consumption of sunshine and wind
– Versatile zoning inside the premises which permits boundless connection between inside and exterior of the constructing as soon as fixtures are open
– Sturdy materials which coexist with nature
Nursing in cross age group of zero to 5 12 months previous, uncommon fashion in Japan, together with group exercise inviting neighbors and occasions inviting exterior company happen underneath this atmosphere. The lot is hook formed hexagon which can lead to a lot lifeless house with three to four-story homes on south aspect whose shadow is continually solid on the premises. Throughout design course of, neighbors requested that a part of day care middle constructing to recess. These restrictions and situations have been remodeled to its spatial options and variable composition as entire.
Following supplies and kinds are employed as element designs:
– Extremely resistant flooring materials for each nursing room and restroom in order that little youngsters won’t really feel insecure (youngsters really feel uneasy when flooring supplies change by the house.)
– The colonial roof proportion which is employed in neighboring homes is employed for sheet steel allocation and enlarged with the intention to cut back oppressive impression.
– Exterior wall dealing with backyard inside the attain of kids is fabricated from picket board to scale back danger of damage and laid vertically to keep away from climbing in harmful locations, in any other case crosswise.
– Distance between the neighbors and privateness of the day middle is adjusted by interstice between the boards caught vertically and crosswise (wider dealing with street, narrower dealing with neighbors).
– Timber planted within the backyard are fruit bearing with which they will make jam and tree unfold permits tree climbing simple. Delicate garden is grown beneath the bushes.
– Unpainted wooden is used for deck and picket boarding to let its colour fade slowly in a number of years and titanium zinc alloy, which is upkeep free and modifications over years, is employed for the roof.
We hoped that grand design and design particulars would contribute to the muse of fine relations with the neighbors and enchancment of nursing high quality. Simply in a single 12 months, communication talent of kids on this day care middle has remarkably developed and the way in which they play has additionally modified. Our conviction that youngsters have been supple as gashing water gave us alternative to rethink important function and performance of a day care middle as a spot to nurture youngsters. – Akio Nakasa –
