The renovation of the playground and the in-room play equipment for this nursery school were both designed by STGK.

Playground: With its ready-made playground equipment placed in a cramped space and separated from the main building by a pool, the original playground was not easy to use. We removed all the existing playground equipment and covered the pool that separated the playground from the main building with wooden decking, creating a spacious terrace that links with the grassy open space. The wide terrace links seamlessly with the main building, enabling children to run outside barefoot and move their bodies to their heart’s content. The deck can be removed in the summer to allow access to the pool. For the fencing, we retained the existing uprights, but changed the design by adding wooden accents, thereby altering the tone and feel of the space.

Play equipment ‘Ikimono no Katachi (shape of animal)’ & ‘Mizutama (water drop)’: For the infants’ room, we installed a number of objects that create the feeling that there are animals in the room. Each large, bulbous shape carved from a single piece of wood resembles an animal, perhaps a dog, a cat, a sheep, or a bear. The objects function as chairs and slides, giving the young children the feeling that they are interacting with living creatures. On the outdoor terrace we also installed a number of similar objects, this time designed to resemble drops of water from the covered pool. Their subtle shapes mean they can be used in a variety of different ways, such as for climbing on, as seats, or as walking aids for very young children.