At Seikei Elementary School, many children were seen leaving their seats and wandering around the school during class, indicating that classrooms were not necessarily safe spaces for them. To explore what kind of space children would perceive as a “safe space,” we conducted a design workshop. Based on the results, we designed and created a kids' booth using the peach shape from the school emblem as a motif, and held an assembly workshop with the children. 

 

Through homework assignments, presentations, and school observations, we incorporated insights about “conscious and unconscious places of belonging” into the design. The process itself became an opportunity for children to actively engage in shaping the space.

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The motif features a peach, inspired by the origin of Seikei's name: “Peaches and plums do not speak, yet paths form beneath them.” The peach motif is also used in the school emblem.
Furthermore, with a basic dimension of 2m square, it was designed to scale for children's physical senses. Soft birch plywood was used, prioritizing safety while incorporating a structure that allows for reconstruction and variable use.

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Twenty 3×6 boards (910×1820mm) were machined using a 3-axis CNC router. Structural boards were dual-purpose for seats and through-holes to efficiently utilize materials. By limiting parts to seven types, the design enables quick and safe assembly, creating a construction process where children themselves can participate.​

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TEAM: Takenaka Corporation (Event Management), Keio University SFC Hiroto Kobayashi Laboratory (Design, Construction): Honoka Takahashi, Hiro Namekawa, Anzu Soga, Seikei Elementary School, Shin-ei Kogei (Precut, Construction), and others