Houtoku Kindergarten

Narratives

Architect Narrative

The kindergarten has been run for forty years by a Buddhism temple with policy of ‘family together’. It aims that they bring up children with parents rather than by themselves. The school considers their whole facilities as one small ‘farm’. The entrants, by considering their policy, designed the new school building and nursery center as ‘Village’ and playground as ‘Village Square’, while they are surrounded by ‘Woodland/Garden’ and ‘Temple’ area. Enjoyable and diverse fields are provided in which each area works smoothly, so that all the people could learn, play and live with joy in this ‘farm’.

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The new school building located in the center of the site consists of four zones.

1. ‘Administration zone’ as heart of the school
There are rooms for principal, administration and meeting in administration zone, which is the school’s heart. The rooms are partitioned by glass windows so that children and parents could easily call the staff. Staff can view the ground from the administration room and indoor square area, which enables them to look after children all the time.

2. ‘Classroom zone’, where children spend their daily life
The structure of classrooms is like a small-houses-collected-form as there are four houses in total, which each house has two classrooms.

3. ‘Promenade zone’ as a place for communication
The north-side corridor, called ‘Promenade’, is wide so that two hundred children in the buildings may communicate here. As a tool to activate indoor play, there are a stage for play, tower play structure and net feature. There are also a reading space, video space and kitchen.

4. ‘Hall zone’ as a face of temple kindergarten
The hall becomes a face of temple school, while the temple’s ground, a belfry and weeping cherry tree can be viewed through big front windows of the hall. Various events are held, e.g., the graduation ceremony and concerts.

The nursery center, located next to the ground facing on the main building, was built to make it possible that parents could participate in nursing actively.

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The ground is designed to promote outdoor play opportunities through contact with nature and activities at play structures.

1. Good harmony with surrounding environments
External appearance of these two facilities is harmonized with the surrounding environments, by providing roof with slope of Kiritsuma style which matches with shape of temple roof and of backside woodland, and selecting natural colors for external walls which match with greens.

2. Circulation of play activities
By providing circulation for play in the whole facility, diverse spaces with no dead-ends are designed. There are circuits children can play and move freely at semi-outdoor and outdoor spaces as well as indoor spaces.

3. Participative kindergarten improvement
There is a good tradition that parents actively participate in outdoor facility creation in the school, e.g., tree houses in the woodland, and wildlife pond in the playground. A unique attempt is practiced for the kindergarten improvement through participation of architects, teachers, and parents for children.

Educator Narrative

‘Kindergarten farm’

We in this school view the whole site as one small village and make all possible efforts to support their life based on thoughts of valuing our lives given by Buddha, including plants, animals and human-being, and living together. To realize this, we think it is important to encourage diverse children’s play and activities by using their five senses fully, and share the experiences and memories with families and local people. We hope that children will have sensibility, which they feel other people’s pain, sufferings and joy, and bring up as a person in the society through memories at this ‘farm’.

New school building:

1. Children’s play
The new school building like an adventure land is considered as the ‘kindergarten farm’ itself.
Climbing towers in the first floor classroom connect older children’s classrooms upstairs. It is as if climbing up a big tree covered by vines and reaching a tree house. In the net feature, children lie down and chat on the ‘clouds’. There are also dancing children on the stage.
We feel that the new building plays roles of enriching quality of children’s play by connecting the facility, the outdoor environments, and their minds and action.

2. Comfort
Each classroom has its own characteristics and the atmosphere is cozy as if it is our home. Sunlight and colors in the rooms heal and encourage children and teachers. Child-size windows make it possible to view friends, birds and ducks in the playground, and that excites their feelings. We believe that is because this building gives sufficient comfort and is suitable for children to act naturally.

3. Meeting with something
‘Promenade’ is a place of meeting. When coming out from their classrooms, there is a tower play structure, in which children can hide and gather. There is a kitchen where people meet and enjoy with new people and taste while children harvest vegetables, and cook with moms. The facility is also friendly to disabled children and local elderly people by provision of elevator and consideration to heights of steps.

Playground:

Based on children’s ideas, the ground was improved and there are now a wildlife pond, kids’ tower, wooden deck and path in greens. The playground becomes a place connecting the nursery center and woodland, and circulation of the whole farm got better.

Nursery center:

The center makes us image a small house and comforts us as if we are in living room. It is used for parents and infants groups. Snacks parents cook in kitchen excite children waiting for their parents.

Parents’ opinions:

- Children’s action and expression got diverse and each one of them looks lively.
- When cooking in kitchen, children come close and say happily, ‘Nice smell!’ I really think the sense of smell is important.
- It is new but also calm. I am large-hearted to see them.

Facility design:

We are grateful for the designers who carefully listened, extended our possibilities and imagination, and realized our policy, kindergarten farm, in facility design.