T-NURSERY

Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

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T-NURSERY

Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Firm

UCHIDA ARCHITECT DESIGN OFFICE

Type

Educational › Nursery

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2012

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

BUDGET

$10M - 50M

One room (9m span) childcare room
The nursery school built in Dazaifu, a city located near Fukuoka city, had to be extended for two classes in order to increase the accommodation of children. Considering the nationwide decline of birthrates, the number of accommodating children may decrease in the near future. I decided to constitute this building as one room space (9m span) which does not have a pillar inside of building, which becomes very useful for conversions to various uses (playroom etc.).

Folded plate-like roof structure
　Non-pillar space is achieved by applying a wooden truss beam to the roof structure which shapes like a folded plate. All bearing walls supporting the structure are arranged in the perimeter of the building. Now this building is divided into two childcare rooms, toilets, etc., but it is possible to convert to a big one room in the future. This wooden truss beam is set up at the factory and conveyed to the construction site by a trailer. A complicated joint is set up in the factory, and only a comparatively easy joint is assembled at the construction site. It has realized improvement in construction accuracy, and shortened the construction period.

High cost performance wooden space
　Every structure of the building is expressed as interior design (abbreviation of a ceiling and wall material) and the wooden truss beam was leaned aslant, which is used as a roof ground (abbreviation of a roof ground timber). This is realized to meet the client’s request "the childcare space surrounded by wood" and to cut down the construction cost. Moreover, by lowering the ceiling height, timber length was shortened and air-conditioning volume was also reduced. Although there is only about 2.2m ceiling height in the lowest space, even an adult would not feel oppressed due to the effect of uneven ceiling geometry and a trapezoidal window.