We proposed the "Komakiyama Step," a place for interaction that is the core of mutual learning, with the library as its central feature. The three-story school building has a three-story atrium that connects to every classroom. We aimed to create a space where children's movements and lines of sight intersect from various angles on each floor, fostering and expanding mutual connections.
Komaki City utilizes school books in a variety of subject classes. Our on-site survey of the existing school building during the design process revealed close relationships between children and books, to the extent that more than 100 children stand in line to check out books at the library during recess. We decided to study and interpret the context and actively utilize books to trigger interaction, mutual learning, and connection. To encourage spontaneous interaction as much as possible, we designed the library to be open rather than closed. We placed it in the center of the school so children can stop by daily as they travel from one place to another in the school building.
As we proceeded, we found various issues such as the light and air conditioning environment for a reading space, children's safety, which is the most critical issue, and the visibility of their activities. We also felt it would be difficult to reconcile the latter two.
The light environment was verified by simulating the shapes of the high sidelights at the top of the atrium and the diffusion of light using handrails. For the handrail material, we created several samples and mock-ups to see how it would diffuse light and, at the same time, confirm children's safety and the visibility of children's activities, and selected materials with the city's board of education and teachers.
During the design process, we held workshops for children to gather their opinions about what kind of library they wanted, referring to libraries in Japan and abroad, and then incorporated their ideas into the plan.
While the Komakiyama Steps is characterized by its centrality, we wanted to spread the lively atmosphere to the outside. To this end, we proposed a stepped terrace outside adjoining the Komakiyama Steps, netted playground equipment in the exterior atrium, and an observation terrace flanked by a biotope and vegetable garden. We aimed to create spaces where children can fully utilize the Komakiyama Steps inside and outside and where their lively activities overflow into the city. Also, we designed a plaza for community events in front of the gymnasium, aiming to connect the school seamlessly with the community through a space that preserves the existing school building's monuments, garden stones, and rows of cherry trees. H ere, one can glimpse a lively school landscape interacting with the community, where children's safety is guaranteed.
We constantly thought about how architecture could help us realize the idea of "mutual learning and connection." We worked with the city's Board of Education and the teachers, led by the school principal, for five years from design to construction, drawing on their enthusiasm and passion to move forward with the project. We hope the Komakiyama Steps at Komakiminami Elementary School will be a center of interaction between children, teachers, and community members, like Mount Komaki, the city's symbol.
