Hongodai Christ Church school and nursery

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.

Function church school & nursery
Site area 1332.92 m2
Building area 265.97 m2
Total Floor area 531.94 m2
Stories 2FL
Structure wooden-structure and steel

Design participation TAKESHI HOSAKA
Client HIROSHI IKEDA / HONGODAI CHRIST CHUCH
Structural engineer HITOSHI YONAMINE
/ OVE ARUP and PARTNERS JAPAN Ltd