kengo kuma-designed nursery school in hokkaido honors the region's sunflowers

kengo kuma and associates (KKAA), the firm led by architect kengo kuma, has completed a wooden nursery school in hokkaido — the northernmost of japan’s main islands. the project, titled ‘yawara nursery’, is located on a grassy plain in hokuryu, a town known for having the country’s largest sunflower field. this context informed the project’s ‘sunflower geometry’ that is apparent in the shape of the building.

all images © kawasumi・kobayashikenji photograph office

KKAA explains that the building’s frame was built using locally sourced wood. internally, larch panel boards have been combined with larch plywood to create a series of warm and welcoming spaces for its occupants. at the heart of the nursery, a centrally positioned hall connects to each area of the scheme — providing a place for children to gather at the middle of the flower-shaped floor plan.

the project’s distinctive lighting fixtures are covered with a yellow cloth that was dyed using local sunflowers. these lights have been suspended at the center of the project, forming part of a hanging garden. ‘all of these features resulted in the birth of energetic warm space that perfectly suits a town known for its sunflowers,’ says KKAA. natural light enters through carefully positioned openings. meanwhile, after dark, the windows emit a light to the exterior, subtly illuminating the snowy landscape during winter.

read our recent interview with kengo kuma, who discussed his involvement in the red sea project in saudi arabia.

project info:

name: yawara nursery
location: hokkaido, japan
type: nursery school
area: 811.42 sqm / 8,734 sqf

KKAA project team: takashi taguchi, tomomi sekiguchi, miki sato, fumiya kaneko
structure engineer: tomonori kawata structural engineers
MEP: mutron, inc.
contractor: institute of interior architecture inc.
sign: umebara design office
photography: kawasumi・kobayashikenji photograph office