The Ventilation Chimney Care Home is designed to welcome children with severe, hard-to-treat illnesses and their families, providing a place that breathes life and vitality into their daily experiences. Since many families view this journey as potentially their last trip together, the project’s owner, “Dream for Children with Intractable Diseases and Their Families,” aims to create a space where children can simply be children and parents can be parents—not just as patients and caregivers, but as a family deepening their bonds through shared travel in a comforting environment.
Even if a child eventually passes away, this home will serve as a sanctuary for family members to revisit cherished memories and spend quiet moments reflecting. Additionally, the project aspires to foster greater empathy and goodwill within the broader community.
Although the facility is situated on the second floor with a stunning sea view, the owner envisions the nursing home as a single-story building surrounded by flowers and greenery—a traditional architectural style common in Okinawa. This design aims to foster a shared environment where families and staff can spend time together, fostering mutual understanding and connection.
During the design process, the architects envisioned themselves beside bedridden children who spend their days gazing at ceilings or windows. Taking into account their line of sight and body posture, sliding glass doors were incorporated to allow children to enjoy the outside scenery even while lying on their sides. The entrance and ceiling are intentionally low, and an 8-meter-deep ventilation chimney topped with a skylight approximately 1.8 meters in diameter enables children to look directly at the sky while lying down.
This ventilation chimney not only draws in the sea breeze from above during the day but also channels cool air from the shaded North Garden using a buoyancy-driven ventilation system.
For children with physical disabilities, the wind is a rich source of sensory information—the sea breeze rustling through pine trees, hidden bird songs, floral scents, and even the damp fragrance from rain-soaked flowers. The architect embraced the concept of “wind scenery” (a Japanese term combining the ideas of wind and landscape) to help connect children more deeply with the Okinawan environment.
The building’s circular layout ensures that all rooms face outward, embracing the surrounding environment uniformly. Common areas such as the bathrooms, living room, dining room, and kitchen open onto the garden, allowing abundant natural light to fill the space. Meanwhile, the four compact guest rooms remain darker and quieter, providing restful spaces for children prone to fatigue.
The architect analyzed local wind patterns using data from the Japan Meteorological Agency and on-site observations. Based on these, the water courtyard was strategically placed to capture ocean and river breezes in the afternoon and mountain winds at night. The temperature difference between the courtyard and the outside keeps the cool breeze flowing through the center refreshing at all times.
Rainwater and sea breeze enter through the skylight without glass, creating a dynamic play of light and shadow shaped by the sun and clouds in this contemplative space. When sitting on the bench along the quiet hall wall, light filters through the skylight into a basin below, casting rippling patterns on the ceiling that flicker like flames. The architect describes this as “igniting the flame in the heart,” symbolizing encouragement and hope for families.
From the circular bench at the center of the hall to the rooftop garden, visitors are treated to panoramic views of the deep blue ocean, nearby town, and sprawling sugarcane fields. The architect intentionally contrasts the stillness of the inward-facing water courtyard with the dynamic energy of the outward-facing roof garden, creating a balanced spatial experience.
The outdoor steps are designed to allow staff and parents to move wheelchairs from two directions simultaneously. While stairs are often seen as barriers, here they are embraced as positive features evoking empathy and memory. This approach reflects the client’s philosophy: “Though obstacles cannot be completely removed, accessible design should protect freedom and dignity. Recognizing that everyone experiences physical and mental challenges at times, we must understand and support one another. If existing obstacles can promote this awareness, they become valuable.”
As noted, spaces tailored to children’s line of sight and smaller body sizes may sometimes pose challenges for able-bodied people, even becoming obstacles themselves.
This facility also serves as an educational space for able-bodied individuals. The architect embraces this integration of imagination with others’ physical experiences, believing it will lay a foundation for a more accessible society. Through this “behavioral practice,” the goal is to provide care not only for individuals but for society as a whole.
Project Drawings
△ First Floor Plan
△ Second Floor Plan
△ Section Diagram
Project Information
Architectural Design: Zhongcun Tuozhi Architectural Firm & NAP
Area: 318 square meters
Project Year: 2020
Architectural Design Lead: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP
Contractor: Asahi Kensetsu
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up