’En-En’ - Care for children not covered by the current social system and a community base for neighbors

Our architecture plan has been successfully selected in the competition of The Nippon Foundation’s Future Welfare Architecture Project. ‘En-En, Care for children not covered by the current social system and a community base for neighbors’ is working  as a team with the Oita Prefecture Welfare Association Takio Nursery School in Oita, architects, designers and myself.

In that year, only 3 projects were selected from the 292 projects which applied from all over Japan. Pass rate only 1%.

En-En has a ‘path-like’ or ‘Japanese Doma-like’ space that connects the nursery school and the local small park. It will provide childcare services (temporary care for 0-year-olds, post-illness children and children who need medical care) and community services (a cafe where children can pick up breakfast, a Japanese-style penny candy store, a mini library, etc). Furthermore, like a pathway in a town, we would like to develop it into a place where diverse neighbors can see each other for connections and to identify problems for future support. We started studying in the summer of 2021, and I am helping organize and verbalize their ideas as an editor/ project facilitator. We are still working hard toward the opening. I truly thank you for your support.