The Japanese island of Miyako-jima is prone to frequent typhoons, so this kindergarten was planned by studios Hibino Sekkei and Youji no Shiro to provide kids protection from heavy rain and flying debris .
Found roughly 400 kilometres off the coast of Taiwan, Miyako-jima is the greatest and most populous of the Miyako Islands. Tasked with designing a nursery there, architecture office Hibino Sekkei and sister organization Youji no Shiro, which specialises in design and style for youngsters, had to take into account climate and climate circumstances ahead of anything else.
“Miyako-jima belongs to a subtropical oceanic climate,” explained architect Taku Hibino. “The creating is required to be closed for producing shade, and also open for ventilation, due to the fact the scorching and humid climate causes several typhoon attacks.”
Responding to this, the architects created a two-storey framework with a steel-reinforced concrete framework, created to endure a “typhoon invasion”.
Walls are clad in red ceramic tiles, made to match the red roofing components standard to the area, although windows and courtyards are framed by screens and canopies constructed from hollow concrete blocks.
Associated story: Hakemiya Nursery School is developed to remind kids of their properties
“Concrete blocks with holes, a typical building materials from this spot, offer you protection from flying objects and shut out the sunlight while keeping views and wind,” said Hibino.
Named Hanazono Kindergarten and Nursery, the constructing is extended and narrow in program. At one end is a garden featuring playground apparatus and a cave-like grotto, as well as more secluded courtyards and terraces.
The ground floor was developed as one large continuous area, enabling it to accommodate a variety of pursuits.
At the north finish, the principal exercise space and an art studio are housed in a single space, separated only by a folding partition. Glass doors at each ends of the space enable play to spill out to the lawn and a central decked courtyard.
The dining space and kitchen are located across the courtyard, and open out to a narrower deck and garden that faces south.
“It grew to become 1 huge space and wind blows by way of when you open the windows,” added the architect.
Other features on this level consist of a structure referred to as the shoebox corner, which extends through the facade so that one particular half of it is outside. Its walls are painted with blackboard paint so kids can make chalk drawings on its surface.
Upstairs, there are six rooms in which kids can keep overnight. These have been painted in various vibrant shades and some contain wooden mezzanines accessed by ladders.
Photography is by Studio Bauhaus/Ryuji Inoue.
Internet site plan 
Ground floor strategy 
First floor strategy 
Sections Dezeen
