Tesoro Nursery School

Fukushima, Japan
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW / huge playground architecture
Photo © shigeo ogawa
PEDESTRIAN APPROACH using neighbor's gateway
Photo © shigeo ogawa
VEHICLE APPROACH below overhanged second floor
Photo © shigeo ogawa
ENTRANCE HALL and OFFICE at the end of the piloti
Photo © shigeo ogawa
COURTYARD with mountain view
Photo © shigeo ogawa
BABY NURSERY ROOM near the toilet
Photo © shigeo ogawa
INFANT NURSERY ROOM and temporaly nursery room
Photo © shigeo ogawa
HALL incorporating the edge of the mountain
Photo © shigeo ogawa
VARIOUS ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS as play equipment
Photo © shigeo ogawa
GRAY STRAP going up and down
Photo © shigeo ogawa
KITCHEN helping dietary education
Picture © shigeo ogawa
LUNCH ROOM facing two courtyard
Photo © shigeo ogawa
TIERED TERRACE like a studium seat
Photo © shigeo ogawa
NORTH ELEVATION fitting in with the surroundings
Photo © shigeo ogawa
SKYLINE blending into the mountains
Photo © shigeo ogawa
NIGHT VIEW within warm color lighting
Photo © shigeo ogawa
Architects
Aisaka Architects Atelier
Location
Fukushima, Japan
Year
2019

This nursery school for 90 students named “TESORO” (meaning treasure box in Italian) is located in a residential neighborhood in the city of Fukushima.

In order to create an environment in which children can play freely, we proposed consolidating their private road into the site. While maintaining the function as an approach for vehicles on the ground, we could put nursery rooms above the road, thereby securing space for a large, open-air play area in the center of low -story building.

This architecture opens east for a magnificent view of the magnificent mountains. With interconnected circulation routes weaving together interior and exterior spaces, the building itself is like a giant play structure incorporating a slide, a climbing wall, and staircases of various sizes. And an undulating concrete wall pierced by numerous holes wraps around the building, enhancing security and privacy. In addition to this sturdy reinforced concrete, materials include wooden wainscotting inside and in high-visibility exterior areas, and easy-to-maintain Galvalume roofing and siding in areas exposed to blowing snow.

The design also includes as-yet unused exterior spaces that in the future might be sites for rooftop vegetable beds or a futsal court, while the exterior flooring can be converted into wood decks. In this way, we hope that the school as it stands now represents not its peak state but rather a starting point for staff to work toward dreams and goals in a building they love over the next five or ten years.

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