Takeyuki Katsuya, Ken Sogawa (NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD.)

A certified childcare center nestled in Karuizawa’s rich natural surroundings, featuring a single-story wooden structure. Designed with a leaf-shaped floor plan that maximizes each and every nursery room facing the playground. The building features two distinctive roof heights. Under the lower roof are the nursery rooms, scaled for the children, while the higher roof shelters the central hall—the heart of the nursery where children gather and do activities for learning. These spaces are gently divided not by walls, but by wooden columns, creating a great environment where children can move around freely.