Ｈａｋａｔａ Ｃｕｌｔｕｒｅ vol.122

Hakata Elementary School: Open to the Community

Created by the merger of four schools in the Hakata area (Reisen, Naraya, Gokusho, and Ohama), Hakata Elementary School has garnered nationwide attention for its unique architecture and educational policies. The building, located on Taihaku-dori Ave., was completed in 2001 on the site of the old Naraya Elementary School. After the City issued a competition-style call for proposals, the design contract was awarded to Coelacanth H&K, a Tokyo-based firm co-owned by Fukuoka architect Kazumi Kudo.

Hakata Elementary School employs what is called open-school design. There are no walls in the classrooms, so students from different classes and of different ages can mix freely. Also, given the space restrictions of the school’s downtown location, its gymnasium was built half-underground, and it has a variable depth swimming pool on the roof, which can be covered and used as a playground when the pool is not in use.  The school is also equipped with a solar power generator which not only provides some of the building’s power, it is also serves as a tool for teaching children about the environment.

Another important function of a school is as a community center. At Hakata Elementary School, the library, music room and cafeteria are all open to the public. There is also an auditorium with a stage and amphitheater-style seating that is used for a range of both school-sponsored and community events. This glass-walled auditorium, which affords a clear view of activities to passers-by on the street, has become the symbol of the school. This space is also used to prepare for Dontaku, Yamakasa and other local festivals.

Meanwhile, the Memorial Corner displays mementos from the four schools that were merged to form Hakata Elementary School, including a charred door from the old Naraya Elementary School—a remnant from when Fukuoka was bombed during World War II. In the basement, there is a preserved section of a Kamakura era (1185-1333) stone wall, which was discovered during an excavation, on display. It is open to the public free of charge on weekends. The premises is also home to a kindergarten and community center, so it is always bustling with people of all ages. In the truest sense, Hakata Elementary School is open to the community.

Hakata Culture also appears in

(c)  www.fukuoka-now.com All Right Reserved

地域に開かれた博多小学校

　博多部にあった冷泉小学校・奈良屋小学校・御供所小学校・大浜小学校の４つの小学校が統合されて誕生した博多小学校。ユニークな校舎と教育方針で全国的に注目される小学校です。大博通りに面して建つ現在の校舎は、奈良屋小学校跡地に2001年に完成したもの。建築にあたってはプロポーザル・コンペ形式を採用し、福岡出身の建築家・工藤和美が所属するシーラカンスK&Hが設計しています。

　博多小学校は教室の間仕切りがないオープンスクールと呼ばれるスタイル。自由な空間で子どもたちはクラスや学年を超えて交流しています。また狭い都心の敷地を有効活用するため、体育館を半地下にしたり、水深を変えられる昇降式プールはプール休止時に屋上グラウンドとしても使用可能。太陽光発電装置など自然エネルギーも活用し、自然環境教育にも一役買っています。

　地域との交流もこの学校の重要な役割のひとつ。図書室や音楽室、ランチルームなどを地域の人に開放しているほか、ステージと階段状の客席を持つ「表現の舞台」は学校行事以外にもいろいろと活用されています。「表現の舞台」はガラス張りで通りからもよく見える博多小学校のシンボル的存在。どんたく、山笠など地域の祭りの準備がここで行われることもあります。

　また旧４小学校の思い出の品々を保存展示するメモリアルコーナーもあり、第二次世界大戦の福岡大空襲で焼け残った奈良屋国民学校の扉なども展示。さらに発掘調査で出土した鎌倉時代の石塁（石垣）が学校地下で保存展示され、週末には無料で見学することができます。敷地内には幼稚園や公民館もあり、いつもさまざまな年代の人々が行き交う、まさに地域に開かれた学校です。