Children’s Forest is a nursery school to hold children between the age of 0 to 5, planned on a forest hill near Mountain Fuji.

The site was filled with Hinoki trees when we first visited. The sunlight penetrating scarcely through the branches drew round spots overlapping each other on the ground, from which we got inspired to create a sunlit place softly floating among trees. As the light speckles only project on the ground, we intended to keep the undulating slope and the hill rising up to 3-4 meters on the site as much as possible.

 

Each volume sits on different ground level in different directions to face various sceneries around - forest, woods, hill, grass field, etc. The angled orientation of the housing units at different heights creates gaps in horizontal as well as vertical direction through which natural light and surrounding greenery stream into the interior space and connect people inside visually and physically to the environment. The rooms are connected by ramps and in-between spaces/courtyard, creating interior landscape where children can crawl or climb in a more comfortable and safer condition.

 

Integrated with its rich natural context, we wish this garden of children provides a warm and healthy environment for the little ones to grow with some good memories from the forest.