This building is an elderly welfare facility located in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Reflecting the client’s vision of a warm, wooden home where family members and neighbors can easily drop by, the design incorporates open walkways, alleys, and gardens that are accessible to the local community.
The facility consists of five single-story special nursing homes (known as Tokubetsu Yogo Rojin Home or Tokuyou), two day-service facilities, and a centrally located main building. The central placement of the main building helps reduce staff workload by shortening travel distances between buildings, and deliveries—especially meals—are efficiently managed from the north-side road.
The largest portion of the facility is dedicated to the Tokuyou, which is organized into “Co-Units.” Each Co-Unit comprises three or four private rooms arranged around a small communal living space (referred to as a tea room), forming a unit for ten residents. For more efficient nighttime caregiving, two Co-Units are joined via a larger shared living space (sitting room) equipped with water facilities and a staff station.
Each resident room is divided into two areas: a 4.5-tatami mat bedroom called Oku no Ma and a 3-tatami mat multi-purpose room called Ada no Ma. These names are inspired by traditional rural homes in the region. The design draws on the lifestyle patterns around the bedroom, transforming the concept of a traditional private room into the Ada no Ma. This enhances privacy in the Oku no Ma while encouraging more active and social living in the Ada no Ma, which connects to both the tea room and the outdoors.
When the doors of the individual rooms are opened, the Co-Unit resembles a dormitory-like care environment. The repeated use of a house-shaped roof form clearly identifies each space as a private room, giving both residents and visitors the impression of a small town made up of individual houses.
The Ada no Ma serves multiple functions—such as a porch, reception area, family room, or entryway—making it easy for community members to casually visit. The client's new initiative aims to create a living environment where each resident’s lifestyle contributes to the character of the space. The goal is for the facility to naturally integrate with its surroundings and eventually form a scenic town-like atmosphere that offers a sense of normalcy in daily life.