Hitachi City Nakazato Elementary and Junior High School / MIKAMI Architects

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The school building is designed to form a large arc along the Sato River at the southern end of the campus. The peripheral landscape of the arc, which can be seen from inside the school building, varies slightly from place to place. At the same time, the inner part of the back of the arc welcomes the children and embraces the community.The wooden school building forms an arch along the Sato River -The Nakazato area, the site of this project, is located inHitachiCity, the birthplace of the multinational Hitachi Group, but it is a long way from the bustling downtown area facing the Pacific Ocean, which can only be reached by crossing a mountain range. The area once flourished as a copper mining region but fell into disuse with the decline of the mining industry.The Nakazato Ward is an arm's length away from many mountains, and a crystal-clear stream flows nearby. You can see the colors of the various trees in the forest, hear the humming of the vegetation and the murmuring of the river, and feel the changing of the four seasons and the richness of nature. To bring these sensations into the school and to harmonize with the landscape, we decided to build the school out of wood.The new school building is designed and constructed as a two-story building. The first floor houses a communication hall and other function classrooms, while the second floor houses regular classrooms, allowing for independence of grades and interaction between grades. We want this child-friendly school to take full advantage of the natural environment here and become a center of communication that animates the entire community.This school is unique. Currently, the separate elementary and junior high schools are being merged. There is a possibility that students will be recruited from all over the city. However, while the city ofHitachihas a population of over 170,000, the school is quite small, with only ten students per grade.