An indoor playground for children, "Soma Children's Home for Everyone," has been successfully completed in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture!

2015.02.16 Press Releases
Everyone's Playground Project

- "Everyone's Playground Project" is a collaborative project to support children and community spaces -

Since July 19, 2013, the "Everyone's Playground Project," a joint project between T Point Japan Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "T Point Japan"), Yahoo Japan Corporation (hereinafter "Yahoo! JAPAN"), TSUTAYA Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "TSUTAYA"), Oya Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "drugstore mac"), YKK AP Inc. (hereinafter "YKK AP"), which operates "MADO Shops," architects Toyo Ito and Klein Dytham Architects, and Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, has been supporting the construction of an indoor playground in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, where children can play safely and where families who bring their children can continue to use the space as a community space.

Now, the indoor children's playground "Soma Children's Home for All," created by the "Playground for All Project," has been successfully completed in a corner of Kakuda Park in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, and a completion ceremony was held on February 14, 2015.

The completion ceremony was attended by many people, including the Mayor of Soma City, architects, construction workers, local residents, and children of Soma City. As the joyous laughter of children echoed through the playground, the completion of the Soma Children's Home-for-All was celebrated.

All members of the "Playground for Everyone Project" hope that the "Soma Children's Home for Everyone" will become a community space where not only the children of Soma City, but also mothers and local residents can gather to play, laugh, and talk energetically.

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

■ Implementation period: Friday, July 19, 2013 to Saturday, February 28, 2015

■Support method:
　
　　T-Point donations, Yahoo! Online donations
　
　　Support Yahoo! Charity Donations, Oya Charity Campaign, and rent/purchase at TSUTAYA
　
　　Support by "Like" on Facebook, by giving a book you've finished reading, by buying products/giving gifts, by exchanging products, at the "T Point 100 Points Shop", at "Tour de Tohoku", at the "T Point 47 Prefectures Shop", at Yahoo! Auctions charity campaigns, and "Up to 10x T Points & a playground in Fukushima too."" campaign matching donations, Facebook campaign matching donations, and "T Point Charity Festa!"
　
　
■Donation process: The "Everyone's Playground Project" will use all donations to cover construction costs and donate the completed facility to Soma City.
■ Construction cost: Approximately 39 million yen
　*The construction was made possible with additional support from the provision of construction materials and volunteer staff for construction work.
■ Number of buildings constructed: 1
■Design: Toyo Ito + Klein Dytham Architects
■Construction and cooperation: Shelter Co., Ltd.

Overview of the "Everyone's Playground Project"

■Project name: Everyone's Playground Project
■Project members (in alphabetical order): Toyo Ito, Klein Dytham Architects, Oya Co., Ltd., TSUTAYA Co., Ltd., T-Point Japan Co., Ltd., Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Yahoo Japan Corporation, YKK AP Inc.
■ Launch date: September 5, 2013
■Objective: By making maximum use of the various platforms, knowledge, and technical capabilities of the project members, we will support the construction of an indoor playground in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, where children can play safely and where families who bring their children can continue to use it as a community space.

Overview of "Soma Children's Home"

■ Facility name: Soma Children's Home (Kakuda Park Rest Area)
■ Construction site: Kakuda Park, Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture (1-15-1 Kitaiibuchi, Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture)
■Structure: wooden
■ Total floor area: 152.87㎡ (46 tsubo)
■ Construction start date: Tuesday, April 8, 2014
■Delivery date: Saturday, February 14, 2015
■Opening date: Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Opening hours: 9:00-16:00
Closed: Mondays
■ Children's Center Management: Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
■ Management structure: 2 people
■Features: This "Soma Children's Home" was designed to meet the demands of the people of Soma City for a place where their children could play safely. Its most distinctive feature is the softly shaped roof, resembling a straw hat that has softly descended onto the park. It is actually made by weaving together long pieces of wood with a small cross-section of 20mm x 120mm. The straw hat is firmly supported by three tree-shaped pillars that incorporate motifs of birds and squirrels, creating a sense of unity with the park. This roof and pillars allow the scent of wood to permeate the circular room, which is 14 meters in diameter, creating an open yet warm atmosphere. The exterior walls are finished in red and white to inspire visitors to the park. With the cooperation of many people, we created this space, imagining a place filled with the smiles of children, their mothers, and their fathers, playing freely, reading books, and drawing.

Materials related to this matter

An indoor playground for children, "Soma Children's Home for Everyone," has been successfully completed in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture!

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