Kira Horie Portfolio
A Circuitous Elementary School
Keio University Architectural Space Planning and Design II | Fall 2012
Site | Kawasaki, Japan
Abstract
In this proposal for an elementary school, the classrooms have been laid out in a thin, distorted circle. This decreases the distance from the classroom to the “outdoors,” encouraging students to play outside. In addition, the design of the spatial experience of the school takes inspiration from that of a traditional Japanese garden. The distorted circle divides the outdoors into many small, unique spaces such as an ume orchard and a water play area. The exterior pathway connecting the classrooms flits between inside and outside the circle, creating constantly changing views from the path. There is limited visual continuity between the inside and outside areas of the circle: students will continually be discovering new spaces within the school.