Kindergarten in Tokyo by Tezuka Architects

Children enjoy climbing in the treetops and love building hideouts there. This simple fact was the foundation of the Japanese studio Tezuka Architects' consideration when designing an unconventional kindergarten in the Tachikawa district, located 40 km west of central Tokyo. The project, named "Ring Around a Tree," consists of a multipurpose building that serves not only as a kindergarten but also as a learning space, preparatory school, and playground. The previous project of the oval kindergarten by the married couple Takaharu and Yui Tezuka in the same Tokyo district was too closely surrounded by mature trees; therefore, their latest creation provides much more space for the greenery to continue growing undisturbed. Users of the building can move in close contact with nature. The oval space of the kindergarten spirals up in seven elevated platforms to the heights of the tree canopies. The structural frame disappears among the leaves and branches. The kindergarten offers a wide range of different spaces: open and closed, high and low. Some rooms are designed so that only children can move around in them without difficulty. The architects adapted the building primarily for the needs of children, allowing them to play and learn without interruption.