TSURUMI Children’s Hospice (TCH) is modeled on Britain’s Helen & Douglas House and is Japan’s first community-supported hospice for children. TCH’s vision is to support children living with life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses and their families by working closely with them as friends, as a world-class children’s hospice that has deep roots in the local community. The facility is located within Tsurumi Ryokuchi Flower Expo Memorial Park in Tsurumi Ward, Osaka. A part of TCH is open as a public square, functioning as a hub where children staying at the facility be able to play with neighborhood children and their families interact with the community on a daily basis, with the aim of becoming a foundation from which the entire community supports the children and their families.

Design concept: "Not just a home, but a place like a village - What we architects were asked to do was to envision and realize the ideal form of “community-supported hospice for children”. Without precedent for this building type in japan, we began by envisioning the scene of life here. It is like a porch facing the large garden with soaking up the sunlight, a table where family can watch over their child play in the small garden and a quiet place to get away for a while but can also watch everyone else.

Finally, we realized that important thing for children and family is to be able to choose a place to stay depending on how they felt at the time. Then, each place is loosely connected to each other without being isolated. Moreover, there are not only to be relaxed like a home, but also to have a variety of spaces, scales, and places like a village. It's a place where they can have connections, and a place full of "various" things that make they feel special in daily life.

Creating a place full of "various” - TCH is an all wood-frame structure, with six "houses" connected by a "space of the street". Each "houses" have rooms with various characteristics, such as the playrooms, music room, living areas, kitchens, and accommodations and there are full of fun and joy walking through the "space of the street".

In between the houses, there are small hangout spaces and gardens of various shapes and sizes, where you can take a break or even hide and cry. For the interior and exterior finishes, we apply a lot of wood, tiles, metal, and soft materials, planning to emphasize the gentle touch and the pleasure of discovery. The deep eaves facing the courtyard block out the strong sunshine in summer, and the “space of the street” allows a comfortable breeze to flow through, allowing the residents to relax and feel nature as it is all year round. The “space of the street” extends to the park square and leads to the subway station and local residential area. In between the gently curving streets are characteristic places such as the "Community Square" and "Play Hill", where people can play together with neighborhood children and have new encounters through seasonal events.

A primitive house form that everyone can recognize as a home - The proportions and details of the facade were studied in order to create a primitive house form that anyone who comes here can recognize as a home. For ease of maintenance, no eaves gutters were installed, and gravel gutters were planned to be placed directly under the drainage.

Aiming to create a gentle scene that moves the heart - The goal of our architects was to create a gentle scene that moves the heart. We have proposed a big concept, given shape, and designed a place full of fun and small discoveries for children and families who spend time there, and for the people who support them. We hope that this view will inspire people to sympathize with children and their families, and that the circle of support will spread throughout the community, society and Japan. Furthermore, this architecture and visions will become a guidepost for the second and third community-supported hospice for children.

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