The Campus of Eishin – High SchooI: College Building forms enclosure to garden – Photographs of buildings and gardens

Nihongi 112-1, Iruma-shi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan

Client:

Higashino High School - Hisae Hosoi, Managing Director

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Hans-Joachim Neis, Gary Black, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King

Contractor:

Center for Environmental Structure, Japan

Project cost:

$1,500,000

Design and construction process:

The design of the landscape for the Eishin School Campus is created by, and influences the buildings on the site. The intent was to create a complete environment to compel learning and creativity in the most positive and beautiful way. Various elements designed into the landscape work to create this harmonious atmosphere, of which the following are examples. Gates were designed to invite the visitor to continue along the paths and streets of the site, as well as to create an act of entrance and passage. The main homebase street is formed by the individual homeroom buildings. It is a wide, lively, sunny street, which creates a forum where the students can come together outdoors, as a larger group, and where lively activity can unfold. In between the buildings, small gardens are created, separated from the activity of the street by fences. Other gardens are formed along the galleries which connect the rooms of the faculty hall. In front of the lounge is a teacher's garden for resting and enjoyment. The lake was created as a major element of the campus. In the early phase of design for the school, teachers and students indicated that one element they felt most important to be a part of the school, was a body of water. It is a focus for activity, with ducks and boats accessible by students, as well as for quiet reflection and beauty. A wooden bridge arches over the lake, making the entire campus accessible.

Project stages:

Layout on the site by clients and C.E.S. Direct construction management and on-site design decisions Budget and subcontractors under C.E.S. control

The Campus of Eishin – High SchooI: College Building forms enclosure to garden – Photographs of buildings and gardens

Photograph: