TN Nursery | HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro

TN Nursery was designed by HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro, The site is located at north of housing development, which is about 10 kilometers from Tsu City in Mie Prefecture.
It is an area surrounded by sufficient nature with green where you can feel change of season such as field, pond, forest, woods and others, and in addition, comfortable wind blows.

For those who live in this area, the field, pond and trees they can see from the site are not special but close to them. The change of the nature they can feel by season teaches children variable facts throughout a year. In summer, water spreads in the field, trees turn red in autumn, snow falls in winter and flowers start blooming in spring. In this project, we emphasized that this scenery they feel naturally is input into the body of the children deeply and they learn by experience.

In dining room, a large window is set at two phases where they can see the scenery such as the field and pond. By this setting, they can enjoy eating while seeing change of the scenery throughout a year. At front, a terrace is set, and they can have lunch by feeling sunlight and wind at their skin as if they were having a picnic on nice day. To stimulate imagination of the children, in the hall, we set a light at random as if it were constellation they can see from here. By discovering the constellation by themselves and teaching each other, they develop joy of discovery, mind of searching and curiosity. A device of accumulating water is designed on top of the terrace in the hall, and cooled air is brought into the building by using vaporization heat. On hot days in summer, it is used as an Ashimizu (putting foot in the water to cool down) where they can have fun, and thereby they can live without relying on air conditioner.

As a place for developing an area and establishing a community, we created a place where raising of the children is supported. Its purpose is not only to reduce stress of child care of the parent who has a problem in raising children but also mothers and those in the area can communicate each other easily. The space as if it were an open café lounge makes visitors feel relaxed and provides an environment where they can easily consult.
In the garden, a variety of trees such as the one producing fruit are planted. They bring this fruit to the kitchen, cook it by themselves and eat. By this experience, they develop sensitivity, curiosity and mind of searching.

Recently, as there are numerous plays where they do not use their body in the building, they lack a variety of experiences they need when they are growing up. It leads to increase of children who cannot communicate with others well. In this project, HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro created an environment where they develop the mind that they feel beautiful when they see the beauty and feel delicious when they eat delicious food by creating an environment where they feel bounty of nature at their skin all the time through their experience.

Project Info:
Architects: HIBINOSEKKEI, Youji no Shiro
Location: Mie Prefecture, Japan
Area: 1242.37 sqm
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue
Surface area: 846.57 square meters
Site Area: 4529.83 square meters
Project Name: TN Nursery