גן ילדים שהוא גם בית ומבצר לקהילה || פרויקטים

Project: Higashitateishi Nursery School
Architecture: Aisaka Architects’ Atelier
Location: Katsushika-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Date of Completion: March, 2021
Principal Use: Nursery School 
Structure: Reinforced Concrete Structure
Site Area: 1296.63 m2
Building Area:  779.81 m2
Total Floor Area: 1380.58 m2 
Photography: Shigeo Ogawa

גן ילדים זה ממוקם בשכונה עירונית צפופה באזור קצושיקה בטוקיו. במקור היה פעוטון ציבורי מוזנח, אשר נבנה מחדש והועבר לבעלות פרטית. נערכה תחרות לבחירת אדריכל, משרד האדריכלים ''אייסקה'' הגיש הצעה בשיתוף חברה המבקשת לקבל לידיה את הניהול. התחרות דרשה שהעיצוב ייקח בחשבון את ההיסטוריה והסביבה של בית הספר וכן את הצרכים המורכבים של החברה העכשווית. ההצעה הזוכה של ''אייסקה'' עמדה בדרישות אלו, תוך שהיא מכילה גם ארבע פונקציות חופפות המבטיחות שהמתקן ימשיך להיות אהוב וישמש את הקהילה עוד שנים רבות:1. זהו ''בית'' בו ילדים יכולים לשחק בחופשיות בסביבת המדריכים והמשפחות שלהם באופן בטוח; 2.''פארק'' שבו כל התלמידים יכולים להניע את גופם ולפתח את נפשם; 3.''בית ספר'' שבו הם יכולים ללמוד להעריך את ערך החיים והמזון; 4. ו''מבצר'' להגנה על הקהילה במהלך הצפה של הנהר הסמוך ואסונות אחרים.


Bird-eye view.Photo Credit: Shigeo Ogawa


The raised-bed river nearby. Photo Credit: Shigeo Ogawa

The reinforced concrete structure is comprised of flat concrete slabs and radial wall pillars that can withstand water pressure. The ten-meter-high building has three floors, with most of the classrooms on the second floor, 3.7 meters above ground level, to withstand flooding. To ensure privacy and buffer noise in the dense residential neighborhood, as well as for ease of maintenance, the exterior of the building is closed off on three sides and surrounds a courtyard. The fourth side of the C-shaped building opens toward an adjacent park. The façade is divided into sections that match the scale of the surrounding buildings. On the north side, the first floor is set back from the narrow road that runs in front of the building, widening the street and thereby avoiding the risk of congestion and accidents during the morning and evening rush of bicycles and cars stopped for drop-off and pickup. 


North approach widening the road. Photo Credit: Shigeo Ogawa


East elevation open to the park. Photo Credit: Shigeo Ogawa


Courtyard. Photo Credit: Shigeo Ogawa


Childcare support room. Photo Credit: Shigeo Ogawa


Nursery room visible by each other. Photo Credit: Shigeo Ogawa

The design incorporates multiple circulation routes, including some that loop through the entire building to keep children engaged during ordinary playtime, and others for emergency use that move vertically, with people going down in fires and up in flood disasters to ensure safe evacuation. In particular, the spiraling ramp that extends all the way to the roof and the wide staircase create room for emergency storage space and ceiling heights adjusted according to age, while on the second floor, tiered seating can accommodate 200 to 300 people during emergencies, including the school’s 165 students as well as staff and community members waiting for help to arrive. 

Designing a building that is disaster-proof but also a fun place to play, open to the community via the adjacent park but also respectful of the neighborhood and streetscapes, and yet which does not making its users constantly aware it is performing these diverse roles felt a bit like solving a multivariate equation with enormous variables. In addition, we strived to achieve balance in the forms and colors of the design, flexibility to ensure the building can respond to disasters as well as long-term societal changes, and an appearance that is appropriate for a nursery school without being overly childish - that is, a facility that combines quality and strength.


Tiered terrace to the rooftop. Photo Credit: Shigeo Ogawa


Simple playset of tires and ropes. Photo Credit: Shigeo Ogawa


Night view. Photo Credit: Shigeo Ogawa