Introduction
Grief hangs heavy. It makes saying goodbye the hardest possible task. Within the district of Kunigfami in Okinawa, Japan, lies a care house for terminally ill children and their families. The Care House of the Wind Chimneys enables the guests to deepen their bond and aims to educate individuals on how to be compassionate and kind to others whose situation is more arduous than ours. Furthermore, this project also serves as a memorial, inviting the families to revisit and recollect the fond memories once spent together if the child should eventually pass away.
Designed by Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP, it adopts ideas of soft energy and healing. This care house seeks to relieve children suffering from intractable and terminal illnesses and their families from their daily lives. The centre has been commissioned by a non-profit organisation called Dream for Children with Intractable Diseases and Their Families. The organisation supports children suffering from terminal diseases and their families from all over Japan.
“Because many families will come prepared that it may be their last trip together, the client desired a place where children can be children and parents to be as parents, instead of an austere facility that treats children as patients and helps deepen family connections. Should the child eventually pass away, it will be a place where they find some respite. They wanted to give children who have only known the insides of a hospital or house a chance to experience the outside world and requested us to design a place where the family could revisit and spend time with their memories, even if the child passes away one day,” the architects share.
Design Approach
The care house aims to redefine the idea of barriers rather than eliminate them. For example, the design of the outdoor stairs makes it easier to support wheels from both sides. The barriers would prompt an internal dialogue of what the physically challenged felt like every day. This notion of barriers is based on the philosophy of the client, who believes that while barrier-free designs preserve the dignity of the differently abled, it becomes impossible to eliminate all barriers. Taking note of the physical and mental barriers around us will help us understand one another better. Doing so would help us progress as a society that remains mindful of every member’s strengths and weaknesses.
The location of Care House is a scenic spot overlooking the bay and a structure surrounded by lush green vegetation. Over a gentle slope, nature juxtaposes with the built form, a circular design, partially underground and concealed by shrubbery. A green roof and seven wind chimneys differentiate it from other surrounding structures, attracting attention with its unique form.
The structure is primarily made of concrete in a round shape with large windows for each space. The glass sliding doors are unusually low, as are the windows, designed to provide the best view for children who spend most of their day lying down.
The interiors are minimally designed to allow guests to decorate them as per their liking to make it feel like home for however brief a period. The colours used are warm, with early colours and finishes on the walls. The peaceful nature of the setting remains undisturbed.
Sustainability
The structure is naturally illuminated through numerous eight-meter-deep wind chimneys with glassless skylights. When the children are lying down on their backs, they can see them. The ocean breeze is channelled through the 1.8m diameter of the chimneys during the day and the night, drawing cool air from the shade of the north garden by creating buoyancy-driven ventilation, assisted by the low sweeping windows of the volume.
The architects also studied the wind direction and frequency statistics by the Japan Meteorological Agency and performed an on-site survey. The wind direction blows upwards from the ocean and river below the cliff in the afternoon and downward from the mountain at night. Based on these findings, they placed the courtyard of water per the wind direction. The induced temperature difference and the periphery of the courtyard create a cool breeze through the water basin in the centre. The glassless skylights allow rain and wind to enter the structure, and the illumination from the sunlight and clouds keeps transitioning moment by moment in this reflective space. “While sitting on a bench in the tranquil hall of the care house, light spills through the skylight and reflects on the water basin, creating ripples on the ceiling that quivers like a flame.” This “flame lit in the heart” is perceived as a symbol of encouragement for the families.
Iype, J. (2022) Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP’s Care House of the wind chimneys instills healing, STIRworld. STIRworld.com. Available at: https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-hiroshi-nakamura-nap-s-care-house-of-the-wind-chimneys-instills-healing#:~:text=Features-,Hiroshi%20Nakamura%20%26%20NAP%27s%20Care%20House%20of%20the%20Wind%20Chimneys%20instills,to%20children%20with%20terminal%20illnesses (Accessed: January 22, 2023).
Abdel, H. (2022) Care House of the wind chimneys / Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP, ArchDaily. ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/981579/care-house-of-the-wind-chimneys-hiroshi-nakamura-and-nap (Accessed: January 22, 2023).
katsikopoulou , myrto (2021) Wind chimneys with glassless skylights illuminate care house by Hiroshi Nakamura & Nap in Japan, designboom. Available at: https://www.designboom.com/architecture/wind-chimneys-glassless-skylights-care-house-hiroshi-nakamura-nap-japan-12-16-2021/ (Accessed: January 22, 2023).
Corradi, M. (no date) Nakamura & NAP: Care house of the wind chimneys Okinawa: Floornature, Floornature.com. Available at: https://www.floornature.com/nakamura-nap-care-house-wind-chimneys-okinawa-17123/ (Accessed: January 22, 2023).
Image citations:
Koji Fujii / TOREAL (2020). Nakamura & NAP: Care House of the Wind Chimneys, Okinawa. [Photograph]
