この社会福祉法人は、「子どもを受け入れる施設が不足している」という地域の要請に応えることから始まり、保育園を起点として展開してきた。その後、障害者施設や高齢者施設が周辺に整備され、現在では子ども・障害・高齢の3つの福祉に関わる15を超える施設が、複数の敷地が連続する一帯に集まっている。

現地を訪れて驚くのは、これらの施設のあいだに明確な囲いや境界がほとんど設けられていないことである。各施設は独立しながらも相互に行き来が可能であり、一帯としてひとつの街のような構成となっている。

また、保育園の開園にあたっては、地域の神社より御祭神を分祀し、敷地内に祀っている。ここを訪れる地域の人や子どもたち、施設で働く職員や利用者は、この小さな神社の前で二礼二拍手一礼の参拝を行う。それがこの場所の日常風景となっている。

今回の計画では、この風景を前提に、建物の整理と動線の再編を行っている。2階は減築により建築当初の構成に戻し、木質の半屋外空間として再編した。1階では室内の一部を建物を貫通する通路として外部化し、敷地の東西をつなぐ通り土間として再構成した。この通りは、西側の高齢者施設から園庭を経由し、その先の神社へと連続している。

本計画により、建物の規模を適正化するとともに、半屋外空間と動線を整理することで、施設間の連携と移動のしやすさを高めつつ、それ自体がこの場所の新たな魅力となっている。

—

This project is a reduction and reorganization of an existing two-story steel-framed nursery school.

The building, now over 30 years old, has been extended over time in response to local needs. In this project, its scale and configuration are reconsidered to match current usage. The second floor is partially removed to restore the original structure and reconfigured as a semi-outdoor space with a timber character. On the first floor, a circulation space named “Doma Street” is introduced to enhance connectivity across the facilities.

This social welfare corporation began in response to a local demand for more childcare facilities, with the nursery school as its starting point. Over time, facilities for people with disabilities and the elderly were added nearby. Today, more than 15 facilities related to childcare, disability support, and elderly care are distributed across a series of connected sites

What is striking upon visiting the site is the absence of clear boundaries or enclosures between these facilities. While each operates independently, they remain mutually accessible, forming a spatial configuration that resembles a small town.

At the time of the nursery’s establishment, a local shrine was enshrined here through bunshi (the division and transfer of a sacred spirit), and the shrine remains within the site. Local residents, children, staff, and users regularly stop in front of this small shrine to perform the customary ritual of two bows, two claps, and one bow. This has become part of the everyday scene of the place.

The project builds upon this existing condition by reorganizing the building and its circulation. The second floor is reduced to its original configuration and reinterpreted as a semi-outdoor space. On the first floor, part of the interior is opened to form a passage that runs through the building, restructured as the “Doma Street” connecting east and west. This route links the elderly care facility on the west side, passes through the nursery playground, and continues toward the shrine beyond.

Through this project, the building is brought to an appropriate scale while its semi-outdoor spaces and circulation are reorganized. This not only improves connectivity and ease of movement between facilities, but also becomes a new layer of character within the overall environment.

保育園完成後の第一回オープンデイはこちら

［写真クレジット］

スライダー©YOSHIKAZU SHIRAKI
1~38 ©︎rhythmdesign