FY2013 "Bring smiles to children in disaster-stricken areas by presenting your T-CARD. " Project: Initiative to build an indoor playground for children in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture

2013.07.19 Press Releases
T Point Japan Co., Ltd.

- Designed by Toyo Ito + Klein Dytham Architects -

T Point Japan Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Muneaki Masuda) has been running a project since 2011 to support children and community spaces in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, "Present your T-CARD to bring smiles to children in the affected areas."As part of this initiative, starting July 19, 2013, we will begin work on building an indoor playground for children in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture.

Through this project, T Point Japan built "Children's Centers for Everyone" in Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture and Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture in 2011.In 2012, T Point Japan built a children's playground, "Children's Home for Everyone," in Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture, with the cooperation of Toyo Ito and Maki Onishi, who are working on the "Home for Everyone" project to support the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, as the company shares the same concept for supporting disaster-stricken areas.
This year, as in last year, we will be working with Toyo Ito to build an indoor playground in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, where children can play safely and energetically, and where families who bring their children can use it as a community space. The construction costs will be covered by T Point Japan through T-POINT donations from the 46.02 million T Members who use their T-CARD daily across Japan, as well as through various charity projects.

The indoor playground will be constructed by Toyo Ito and Klein Dytham Architects, who accepted the proposal, and is scheduled for completion at the end of February 2014.

Customers who use T-CARDs can visit the special project website (http://tsite.jp/r/cpn/tj3/play.html) you can donate from just one T-POINT. Your T-POINT donations will be converted into 1 yen per point and will be donated to the cost of building an indoor playground for children in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture.

T-POINT will continue to aim to be "everyone's points that connect people and society, for the benefit of others," and will continue to provide support by connecting the network of 103 T Point Alliance companies with the network of 46.02 million customers who use T-CARD every day.

Overview of the initiative to build an indoor playground for children in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture

■ Implementation period: Friday, July 19, 2013 to Monday, March 31, 2014
■Construction cost: 30 million yen
　*Materials provided by material manufacturers and construction work by volunteer staff are also planned.
■Contribution of construction costs:
　・T-POINT donations
　・Contribution of expenses from T Point Japan Co., Ltd. for the implementation of charity projects
■ Number of buildings: 1 (approximately 165 sq. m)
■Design: Toyo Ito + Klein Dytham Architects
■Scheduled completion date: End of February 2014

■Donation process: T Point Japan Co., Ltd. will use all donations to cover construction costs and donate the constructed facility to Soma City.

Construction in Soma City

T-POINT has built children's centers and playgrounds in areas where children's play areas and local communities are needed. Through its relief activities, T-POINT realized that there is still a lack of such spaces in the disaster-stricken areas and that there is a great need for them, so it decided to create a new playground for children. To find out what specific needs exist in each region, we spoke to local government officials and NPOs, and found that more than two years have passed since the earthquake, and there were a variety of opinions in the area. There is a need for support, but the type of support desired varies. Meanwhile, we learned that Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, did not have a single indoor facility where children could play safely, and that both the city and the local community were calling for such a facility. After holding multiple meetings with the city and those involved in child-rearing support, we were able to confirm that the facility could be operated after the donation and that local residents would be happy to use it, and we decided to build it in Soma City.

About Toyo Ito

Born in 1941. Graduated from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo in 1965. His major works include the Sendai Mediatheque, Tama Art University Library (Hachioji Campus), the 2009 Kaohsiung World Games Main Stadium, and the Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture in Imabari. His awards include the Architectural Institute of Japan Award for Best Design, the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Royal Gold Medal, and the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, he has been actively involved in reconstruction efforts in the affected areas. "Home-for-All," a project proposed as a place of relaxation for residents in temporary housing, has been completed in Sendai City, Higashimatsushima City (two), Iwanuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, Kamaishi City (two), and Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, with several more projects currently underway. In 2011, he founded the private school "Ito Architecture School."The organization is working to deepen the connection between architecture and society by offering training courses aimed at nurturing young, talented architects, as well as a continuing architecture school for children, the first of its kind in Japan, called the Children's Architecture School.

Comment from Toyo Ito

T Point Japan has continued to provide support to children in the disaster-stricken areas since the earthquake. We empathized with this initiative and collaborated with them to set up a "Kodomo no Minna no Ie" (Home for All Children) in a temporary housing area in Higashimatsushima City. Built in the midst of a flat, dreary temporary housing area, this "Home-for-All" is a charming structure that looks like a house straight out of a picture book, and it is giving dreams and energy to many children. This time, we are once again collaborating with T Point Japan to create an indoor park for children to play in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture. This project was born out of a desire to provide a place where children who are hesitant to run around outside to their heart's content due to the effects of the nuclear power plant can have fun playing. We would like to gather everyone's warm feelings and make this project a reality as soon as possible. We would appreciate your cooperation.

About Klein Dytham architecture

Founded in Tokyo in 1991 by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham. As a multilingual office that handles design in multiple fields such as architecture, interior design, and public facilities, their clients include Google, Tsutaya, Sony, Nike, and Shiseido. His major works include "DAIKANYAMA T-SITE," "SHISEIDO THE GINZA," and "Google Tokyo."He has also won awards such as "Design for Asia," "World Architecture Festival," and "Wallpaper Design Award."He is also the founder of PechaKucha Night, a global presentation event now held in over 660 cities around the world. At a charity event held immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake, presentations were given in over 100 cities around the world to support the disaster-stricken areas and Japan, raising a large amount of donations.

Comment from Klein Dytham Architects

Since the earthquake, the lives of children in the affected areas have changed dramatically, and in some areas they are still hesitant to run around freely and play outdoors. This time we are creating an indoor park where children can play safely and enjoyably. I'm sure it's not just children who are looking forward to this facility. Isn't it families and us adults who truly wish for the safety and happiness of children who will be the future? We are excited about this project. We would like to use our skills to create a safe place where children and parents in the neighborhood can gather casually to play and talk, and to help create a rich and warm local community. By donating the T-POINT earned when shopping, not only local adults but many people in general can convey their thoughts to children in the disaster-stricken areas in the form of an indoor park. Please help us make this project a reality.

Materials related to this matter

FY2013 "Bring smiles to children in disaster-stricken areas by presenting your T-CARD. " Project: Initiative to build an indoor playground for children in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture

Inquiries regarding this matter

T Point Japan Co., Ltd.
Public Relations Officer: Ando
TEL: 03-6800-4464