Childcare architecture often aims to emulate warm, homely environments for its precious little guests. In the case of a new kindergarten in Japan, things have gotten even more literal. The Clover House nursery used to be a two-storey house, nestled in a quiet residential street in the small town of Okazaki; now, it has been dynamically transformed into its current use by Chinese architecture firm MAD.
'I think it's important to create a homely atmosphere inside this kindergarten, so instead of building a brand new building, we decide to keep the old wooden structure as the memory and the soul of the space, and work around it,' says MAD founder Ma Yansong. Aiming to create a nurturing and inspiring environment for young‘uns, the house’s owners commissioned the architects to lead their dream project, redesigning their own home into a kindergarten.
Keeping costs to a minimum, MAD decided to recycle the building’s existing wooden structure – which was originally made in a standard prefabricated frame – and use it where possible in the new design. The result? A visible three-dimensional timber skeleton that outlines areas within, in a space that gently combines old and new.
The interior is playful and fresh, with light flooding in from several windows of different shapes and sizes, punctured into the façade. The house’s traditional pitched roof was also maintained, but everything was wrapped in a new skin, blurring the boundaries between what’s new and what pre-existed.
Adding an extra dollop of playfulness, the space comes complete with a slide leading from the second floor down to the outdoor play area and the building’s front courtyard.
An existing structure was transformed from its previous residential use into a kindergarten. Photography: Fuji Koji
The architects reused the existing house's original timber structure in an effort to maintain a relationship between old and new, and in order to keep costs down. Photography: Fuji Koji
The three-dimensional timber frame outlines different areas in the nursery, adding warmth to the interiors. Photography: Fuji Koji
'I think it's important to create a homely atmosphere inside this kindergarten, so instead of building a brand new building, we decide to keep the old wooden structure as the memory and the soul of the space, and work around it,' says Yansong. Photography: Fuji Koji
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the MAD website
-
First look – Bottega Veneta and Flos release a special edition of the Model 600Gino Sarfatti’s fan favourite from 1966 is born again with Bottega Veneta’s signature treatments gracing its leather base
-
We stepped inside the Stedelijk Museum's newest addition in AmsterdamAmsterdam's Stedelijk Museum has unveiled its latest addition, the brand-new Don Quixote Sculpture Hall by Paul Cournet of Rotterdam creative agency Cloud
-
On a sloped Los Angeles site, a cascade of green 'boxes' offers inside outside livingUnStack, a house by FreelandBuck, is a cascading series of bright green volumes, with mountain views
-
Tadao Ando: the self-taught contemporary architecture master who 'converts feelings into physical form’Tadao Ando is a self-taught architect who rose to become one of contemporary architecture's biggest stars. Here, we explore the Japanese master's origins, journey and finest works
-
The Kumagaya House in Saitama is a modest family home subdivided by a soaring interiorThis Kumagaya House is a domestic puzzle box taking the art of the Japanese house to another level as it intersects a minimal interior with exterior spaces, balconies and walkways
-
Shigeru Ban wins 2024 Praemium Imperiale Architecture AwardThe 2024 Praemium Imperiale Architecture Award goes to Japanese architect Shigeru Ban
-
Pace Tokyo is a flowing Sou Fujimoto experience that ‘guides visitors through the space’Art gallery Pace Tokyo, designed by Sou Fujimoto in a Studio Heatherwick development, opens in the Japanese capital
-
How the Arc’teryx Tokyo Creation Centre is all about craft, openness and cross-pollinationArc’teryx launches its Tokyo Creation Centre, a hub for craftsmanship designed by Torafu Architects, embodying the brand's ethos
-
Craft store Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten at Narita airport is an ode to travelThe Japanese homewear and craft store Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten wows with bright interior made of moveable ‘trunks’ by Tokyo-based studio 14sd designs
-
Space Un celebrates contemporary African art, community and connection in JapanSpace Un, a new art venue by Edna Dumas, dedicated to contemporary African art, opens in Tokyo, Japan
-
Monospinal is a Japanese gaming company’s HQ inspired by its product’s worldA Japanese design studio fulfils its quest to take Monospinal, the Tokyo HQ of a video game developer, to the next level
