Hongodai Christ Church School & Nursery by Takeshi Hosaka
Takeshi Hosaka Architects have completed the Hongodai Christ Church School & Nursery in Yokohama, Japan.
Full description after the photos….
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Hongodai Christ Church School & Nursery by Takeshi Hosaka
It is a complex facility made up of a private school and a nursery operated by a protestant church. The site is in a green area of Yokohama, surrounded by playgrounds, parks and small hills. The plan is to blend a place for children ranging from 3rd year high school students with the green forest.
The line drawn with one stroke run through the forest while dodging and surrounding trees. It is placed in the forest as a simple grid by wood frames. As the building in which the children spend time, steel frames in the five courts play a part in providing better earthquake resistance, in the wooden construction of transparent grid with wooden frames, wooden floors and wooden sashes
Sliding glass doors are the interfaces between the inside and outside. Sunshine filters through the trees into the building and the breeze wafting through the forest also wafts through the building. Being inside the building is just like being in the forest and the exterior of the building also seems to belong in the building, making it possible for children to act as they like
Morning service is held in the hall on the second floor, and then the children go to their own places. The children in nursery run through the forest and eat their lunches under the trees. Lessons are held under the sunlight filtering down through the trees and picture books are read in the forest.
This architecture is representing a new idea that how we should build in forest. It is not too artificially controlled, I hope this broad-minded architecture between the natural and the artificial will be the place where children can feel free and be themselves.
Visit the website of Takeshi Hosaka Architects – here.
Photography by MASAO NISHIKAWA
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F-J on 31 May 2010 at 10:18 pm #
Right next to H.V.P. Lines! Yikes.
Jimw on 01 Jun 2010 at 5:24 am #
“The architecture is representing a new idea that how we should build in forest. It is not too artificially controlled…”
Hogwash.
What “forest”? Not for one second can I believe the “forest” this school was built “in” wasn’t deliberately planted. Classic case of coming up with a “compelling” concept after the fact. The photos strongly indicate some very poor siting and site design…don’t attempt to sell it as something it’s not. I would be more sympathetic if it was presented as funds and available land were hard to come by and the solution was to make a “silk ourse from a sow’s ear”…but it was not.
zico vader on 01 Jun 2010 at 6:29 am #
nice good design but high volatge too dangerous
thanx
Ken on 01 Jun 2010 at 11:55 am #
As far as being a school and nursery for kids, it’s a very free and open design. Not a dark, impersonal and institutional place like sooo many are.
TW on 02 Jun 2010 at 2:36 am #
HVP aside, I think this is a project that will grow into itself when the landscaping matures. Give it a few years.
kelly on 02 Jun 2010 at 5:59 pm #
I’d cut them some slack, its a nice building! Perhaps they have never seen a real forest or maybe the forest was killed off by the masive power line before they could get the building finished.
Lance on 05 Jun 2010 at 6:24 am #
Yeah, it’s not like the kids take daily field trips to the power grid and it’s going to be fenced in exceptionall well. But it is a little disconcerting in the photos. I’d be more afraid of Godzilla attacks though since it is so close to the power lines.
But I don’t know about the concept, though the building really is quite pretty. What kind of creativity can one expect from an environment such as this? I’d expect some mega business leaders to come out of this place or perhaps some really zen cult leaders.
Jaime on 10 Jun 2010 at 8:05 am #
This reminds me of the house in the movie “13 ghosts” that did have a forest, but im not sure about the power lines.