OA Kindergarten | HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro

OA Kindergarten was designed by HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro, As the building of kindergarten that welcomes anniversary has not been earthquake resistant sufficiently, an urgent measure was required.

We decided that our main theme is to tell the children “fossil fuel and to use what they can use carefully” from two viewpoints of urgency caused as a result of lack of the earthquake resistance and educational element of the kindergarten, and not by using an approach where a new building is constructed usually but by constructing using a marine container, reinforcing the earthquake resistance by using the existing structure and renovating, HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro realized a construction in short period, suggested to a sustainable society, reduced the large volume of carbon dioxide as well as created an ecological and educational environment for the children.

The building was constructed by using the marine container, and it was constructed in the shorter period than other buildings usually constructed.
By connecting to energy saving and reduction of carbon dioxide as well as using the container that is movable without changing form and can be reused after it is not used anymore, we tell the children to use the limited resources carefully.
As for gymnasium, the earthquake resistance is reinforced and renovation is made by using the existing structure. By this, we tell the children to use what they can use carefully.

As for the building, we left roughness of the container outside to make the children find the container easily whereas wood, where they can feel warmness sufficiently, is used inside. By this, they can feel comparison of inside and outside.

HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro intended to make the children find that the gymnasium was reconstructed by leaving the existing form of roof.
By opening the nursing room and teachers’ room toward an outside, people can feel what is going on in the room from outside where people in the area can feel what is going on in the kindergarten when they pass.
When we worked on the measure of earthquake resistance, we designed that the kindergarten, which has been existing with the area for 50 years since its foundation, is an important part of the area where it is open to the area and people can come easily.

Signs of kindergarten name and class were made by using Japanese zelkova in the garden.
By designing the trees, which were not removed in the construction, in the place where the children can see and reusing them, we tell the children as a consideration to the global environment and ecological education with a continuation of memory.

Project Info:
Architects: HIBINOSEKKEI, Youji no Shiro
Location: Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Area: 1856.0 sqm
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue
Building area: 647/86sqm(Container)+364.36(Hall)
Project Name: OA Kindergarten