Like a Zōkibayashi: Space as Place, Space as Territory

C+A (Coelacanth and Associates), Essay, expanding design practices, Low Density, Territory and mobility

Architecture, Architecture’s role, Design, Educational Building, Energy, Environment, Essay, History, Japan, Nature, Psychological Well-being, Psychology, School, Space, Territory, Well-being

Published in "C+A: The Essence Behind" by Coelacanth and Associates.

It was Louis Khan that likened the Form of a school to a single tree: “schools began with a man under a tree who did not know he was a teacher discussing his realization with a few who did not know they were students,” (James Williamson, Kahn at Penn) he famously said. We presented Uto Elementary School, a place where 850 children come and go to learn, as a zōkibayashi-like [see below] space that approximates the outside. For a few children one tree would suffice, but that would not do for 850 children. When there are more trees, they come to form woods or forests. However, we made the point to adopt the image of a zōkibayashi.