Tajimi Junior High School

Narratives

Architect Narrative

To create a rich daily life for junior high school students, four themes were established.
1. Living with nature
The site and buildings are covered with plants that blend with the surrounding hills and park greenery. There are many elements here that affect the senses: shades, winds, the silence and whiteness of snow, the sound of crickets, the smell of flowers, plants, and the rain. By feeling the changes of the day and the seasons, generous feelings and senses are nurtured.
2. A place only for themselves
A school is a place for living and activity where many people spend most of their day. All around, there are benches, small corners, and ambiguous spaces for people to sit and relax. Each of these places will be someonefs favorite place, and become a part of their school day memories.
3. Spiritual and physical freedom
The space must appeal to our five senses. One must understand materials with onefs own hands, and understand forms and scales with onefs body. Inside and outside, the space must continue in succession. The many exterior stairs connects the courtyard and the rooftop. People move freely from inside to outside, up and down. Both body and mind should not be closed up in a box.
4. Changing and growing school
It must adapt to changing aims and situations day to day. It must be able to change to meet expectations of the time. Flexibility in structure and finishes to meet changing situations is selected. The site spreads between the old town and the new town. The three school building wings line on a north-south axis, and the courtyard and the promenade are in between. The classrooms and resource center face the courtyard. The succession from a classroom to roofed exterior hallway adds life to the courtyard. The hallway acts as an extension of both the classrooms and the courtyard. Each floor has terraces in various sizes. The plant belts integrate each level.

A basic unit for classrooms is the ghouseh, which contains two classrooms, a multi-purpose space in between, and an alcove. For lectures, a classroom is used, and for group activities, which require more space, a classroom and a multi-purpose area are united. For art, science, and home economic classes, which usually require specialized rooms, a sink in the alcove provides possibilities for some light work. The ghouseh sustains activities for different subjects and it is expected to be a center for extended research projects.

A preexisting passageway used by local residents between the original school and grounds was integrated into our design. The gpromenadeh is also used to access the gymnasium, resource center, and specialized rooms. With PTA supervision, these spaces have been opened to the public and have become a center for community activities.

One of the priorities in planning this project was to create spaces where students can find some time to relax. For the nurturing student, it was important for us to design a school environment that generates mental ease and comfort.

Educator Narrative

After this school building was completed, the students seem cheerful. Many visitors to our school say that the students have bright expressions on their faces. We also acknowledge that they are relaxed and living in a nice atmosphere.
This building integrates natural elements. The students seem to feel that. The following are comments by the students:
“Our school is filled with nature. I like the courtyard the most because on sunny days I can feel the sunshine, and mingle with friends under the trees. Many flowers and trees are in the courtyard. They make me relax. ” (Third-year male)
“Our school is full of green. In ordinary schools there are hallways and walls next to classrooms but in our school, a big zelkova tree, a symbol of our school, stands in the courtyard as we step out of our room.” (Third-year female)
There are some extra spaces around classrooms. A classroom is not in a simple shoebox shape, but has indented spaces with many corners for friends to talk without being bothered by others. In the courtyard there are some removable benches; on the stairs to the rooftop there are benches to overlook the school ground; and in front of each classroom there are benches surrounding plant boxes. These benches are one of the reasons why the students say that they have a “place to stay” and “relax”.
To realize requests of the students, some arrangements were made during planning. For example, the locations of boys’ and girls’ restrooms are completely separated. To renew an image of school restrooms, they were designed in a bright and new style. (Some students actually selected the restrooms as their favorite place.)
Roofed exterior hallways enhance openness. The courtyard, hallways, and rooftops are finished with a wooden deck and have a soft texture. The courtyard is used as a place for communication for students and teachers. Each floor has plants and greens that generate a warm and quiet atmosphere. Students and teachers alike can relax in both body and mind.
One of the requests from the community was a “school open to the public”. With the construction of a new school, which was a big project for the local community, the school needed to enhance its ties with the community and answer to their expectations. The gymnasium and specialized rooms are open to community use. The space between the school buildings, where local residents can pass through, was developed as a part of the city park. Visitors are also allowed during designated visiting hours.
This building is fundamentally different from other schools. The rooftops and verandas, places usually prohibited to students, are designed with intentions for student activities. There are places where staff may overlook. Yet, we intend to trust them and to not tighten the restrictions. There are many places where they can stay and talk. By actually living in this place, I feel that schools need such a “place to stay” for the students.

Koji Ando
Ex principal