約50年前に建てられた保育園の建て替えに伴う、木造2階建てのこども園の新築計画である。このプロジェクトは指名入札制度を利用して受注した。設計事務所が公共建築を受注しにくくなった昨今、入札制度は私たちのできる範囲の大きさの公共建築を受注し、経験値を高めることができる。良い建築を地方につくり、子供たちが小さいころから良い建築にふれあうことで地域貢献を担い、同時に自分たちの幅を広げることを目的とした。
敷地は富山県氷見市の中心部で、南北に長細い敷地の真ん中に既存下水道管が走るため、それの上に建築することはできず、南北どちらかに寄せるて建築することが条件となった。また構造は、林野庁の補助金制度を利用するため県産材を利用した木造軸組工法となった。
北陸は晴れた日が少ないため、天気の悪い日にも自然光が注ぎ明るく、園児が室内で走り回れる場所をつくること、室内で走り回ると必ず角にぶつかりけがをするため、出隅の少ない建物にすること、子供のころから本物の木やタイルなど素材に常にふれあえる建築にすることをコンセプトにした。
0-5歳児の保育室、遊戯室、相談室、職員室、調理室、病児用保育室、他諸室からなるこのこども園は、敷地条件と要望から面積を最大限に取るために、正方形に近い平面計画とした。こども園南側には0-2歳児用の小さな園庭、北側には3-5歳児用の園庭と駐車場を設けた。こども園中央には、シンボリックな円形で天井の高くトップライトからの光が降り注ぐ明るい遊戯室、その同心円状に園児が走り回れる円形の廊下、その外側に保育室などの必要諸室を配置した。こども園外周部に保育室とその他諸室を設けることで自然光と通風が確保でき、保育室と他諸室のヒエラルキーの差が少なくなると考えた。この平面の上に、放射線状に板金を張った大屋根を掛け、天井の高い遊戯室だけのもう1枚の屋根を被せる構成とした。屋根は、円形の遊戯室と廊下を強調するために放射状のガルバリウム鋼板縦ハゼ張とした。
外観は屋根の横長ラインを強調するために、タイルとジョリパットをボーダー状に仕上げ、前面道路側には手摺りやベンチを兼ねた2枚の塀を設置した。園児がぶつかりそうな枠など角のあるものは全て無垢材を用いR加工を施し、露出柱は円形にしてぶつかっても危なくないように加工した。またフローリングは、表面に凹凸加工のあるものを採用し、足でも木の素材を感じられるようにした。不燃性が要求される壁の木は、突板を不燃加工したものを用い、建具や家具も突板を使用して本物を体験することで園児の教育に繋がる。園児は、年齢ごとに色を変えた保育室に自分の成長と次の年齢の保育室に行くことの想像を膨らませる。
このプロジェクトでは、園児のことを第一に考え、細部にこだわりながら建築をつくった。それが園児の教育になり、このこども園が地域で話題を生み、地域住民の自慢の公共建築になればと思いながら設計をした。
（子浦 中）
Certified childcare center where children can run freely indoors
This is a construction project for a new, two-storey wooden daycare centre, replacing a nursery built approximately 50 years ago.
This project was secured through a selective tender process. In recent years, it has become increasingly challenging for design firms to secure public building projects. This tender system –enables us to take on projects of a manageable scale, allowing us to enhance our expertise and build valuable experience. Our aim is to contribute to the community by creating high-quality architecture in rural areas, where children can experience exceptional design from an early age. At the same time, we are expanding our capabilities and pushing the boundaries of our work.
The site is located in the heart of Himi City, Toyama Prefecture, and is characterised by its narrow, elongated shape running north to south. A key constraint was that an existing sewer pipe runs through the centre of the site, making construction directly above it impossible. Consequently, the building had to be positioned either to the north or south of this pipe.
In terms of structure, the building was designed using a traditional wooden framework construction method, incorporating locally sourced timber. This approach was made possible through the Forestry Agency’s subsidy programme, which promotes the use of regional materials.
With the limited number of sunny days in the Hokuriku region, one of the key design concepts was to create a space that would remain bright and filled with natural light, even on overcast days. This would allow the children to run around indoors without feeling confined. While there’s lots of room to run around, to prevent injuries from bumping into corners, the building design minimises sharp corners. Another core idea was to ensure the children are always in contact with authentic materials, such as real wood and tiles, allowing them to experience the true texture and feel of these elements from an early age.
Designed for children aged 0 to 5, this daycare centre includes classrooms, a playroom, a consultation room, a staff room, a kitchen, an extra care room (for children recovering from colds and fevers, etc), and other facilities. Given the site conditions and specific requirements, the floor plan was designed to maximise the available space, taking on a layout that closely resembles a square shape.
To the south of the daycare centre is a small playground for children aged 0 to 2, while to the north is a playground for children aged 3 to 5, along with a parking area.
At the centre of the daycare centre, a symbolic circular playroom was created, featuring a high ceiling and a skylight that allows natural light to pour in, making it a bright and welcoming space. Surrounding this playroom is a circular hallway, where the children can run around freely. On the outer edge, the main rooms, such as classrooms and other facilities, are arranged in a concentric layout.
By placing the classrooms and other facilities along the outer perimeter of the daycare centre, we were able to ensure ample natural light and ventilation. This arrangement also helps to minimise the hierarchical distinction between the rooms and other spaces, fostering a more balanced and cohesive environment.
A large roof with radiating sheet metal panels was constructed over this plane, with a separate roof covering only the high-ceilinged playroom. The roof structure was designed to emphasise the circular playroom and the surrounding hallway, using radial Galvalume steel panels with a vertical seam to enhance the architectural focus.
To emphasise the horizontal lines of the roof, the façade has been finished with textured plaster sandwiched with green tiles. On the side facing the main road, two walls were installed, serving as both handrails and benches, creating a functional and aesthetically integrated feature.
All sharp elements like corners and frames where children might bump into, are crafted from solid timber with rounded edges for safety. Exposed columns were also rounded off to ensure that they wouldn’t pose a hazard if children collided with them. Furthermore, the flooring features a textured surface finish, allowing children to feel the natural wood grain beneath their feet. Non-combustible veneer is used for the wooden walls. Similarly, the doors and furniture also used veneer, giving children the opportunity to experience authentic materials as part of their education. The classrooms for each age group were designed with different colours, encouraging children to have something to look forward to as they grow and move on to the next age-group classroom.
With the children as our top priority, we focused on crafting every detail of this building with care. The aim was for this daycare centre to not only enhance the children’s education but also to become a talking point in the community and a source of pride for the local residents.
(Ataru Shio)
【氷見市しんまちこども園】
所在地：富山県氷見市
用途：認定こども園
クライアント：氷見市
竣工：2023年
設計：シオ建築設計事務所
担当：子浦 中、川鍋哲平*、大金 司
構造設計：森部康司（yAt構造設計事務所）
施工：東工業・氷見土建工業・ハマイ共同企業体
撮影：淺川 敏
工事種別：新築
構造：木造
規模：地上2階
敷地面積：2,440.36m²
建築面積：914.60m²
延床面積：982.56m²
設計期間：2021.01-2022.03
施工期間：2022.08-2023.07
*元所員
【Himi City Shinmachi Kindergarten】
Location: Himi-shi, Toyama, Japan
Principal use: Certified childcare center
Client: Power Himi-shi
Completion: 2023
Architects: Shio Architect Design Office
Design team: Ataru Shio, Teppei Kawanabe*, Tsukasa Ogane
Structural design: yAt structural design office
Contractor: Azuma Kogyo / Himi Doken Kogyo / Hamai JV
Photographs: Satoshi Asakawa
Construction type: New building
Main structure: Wood
Building scale: 2 stories
Site area: 2,440.36m²
Building area: 914.60m²
Total floor area: 982.56m²
Design term: 2021.01-2022.03
Construction term: 2022.08-2023.07
*mark: former staff
