naf architect + design tops 'seiwa' kindergarten arcade with membrane roof in tokyo

naf architect and design has renovated the ‘seiwa’ kindergarten in suburban tokyo, adding a new arcade topped with a membrane roof that lets sunshine pass through. located at a corner of the yamazaki apartment complex, a huge construction developed in the late 1960s, the kindergarten was originally built to serve exclusively the complex’s residents. due to a large decrease in students coming from the complex in recent years, the building has been transformed into a facility serving also children that reside in other locations. as such, the japanese architects have prioritized a design scheme that creates relations with the community outside of the apartment complex.

all images by toshiyuki yano

as part of the renovation, naf architect and design decided to reverse the original layout of the ‘seiwa’ kindergarten and its garden. therefore, a new building has been built nearby the major streets surrounding the site, where the former garden was located, and a new garden is built closer to the apartment complex, where the former building was. the entire project comprises two units, the first being a horizontal, fifty-meter-long and gently curving building (unit A) that houses all nursing rooms and incorporates patio doors that open up toward the deck facing the garden. at the same time, unit B, which encloses the playroom/ multi-purpose room and the kitchen, faces a major street and the large guest parking space. this building is designed to be used for events targeting future kindergarteners and the local community.

in order to meet one of the requests of the brief, which required the gross floor area of unit A and B to be equal to the old kindergarten building, naf architect and design built an arcade connecting the two volumes. topped with a membrane roof, this arcade forms a semi-exterior space that can be used as part of the cafeteria, as a nursing room, an entrance hall and a corridor. as such, the entirety of unit A, B and the arcade adds up to approximately 1.2 times the floor area of the former kindergarten building.

the new garden of the school preserves as many of the old, existing trees as possible. ‘what were once nursery trees about fifty years ago have grown to be symbol trees and loved by everyone,’ notes akio nakasa, principal architect of the project. the garden seeks to reproduce a rich natural environment that contributes to the daily activities of children. therefore, miniature hills and a well were built, and more than 350 trees of various kinds were planted in a hope that they will grow as large as the existing ones and form a forest together.