Nagano Children's Museum "Naganobi!"

Nagano Children's Center "Naganobi!" is an indoor play facility that was created by completely renovating the former Nagano City Children's Science Center.
Based on the concept of "nurturing children's life skills × an indoor park where everyone can feel comfortable and relaxed," the park features themes of nature, animals, and science, with organic designs reminiscent of forests and outer space, and a highly interactive spatial configuration, creating an environment where children aged 0-12 can learn actively while playing with their whole bodies.
This playground, themed around the nature of Nagano, features a "Forest Exploration Plaza" that encourages diverse physical activities such as swaying, spinning, climbing, grasping, and crawling to foster sensory integration (*), and a "Space Athletics" area where children can play using their whole body in a light-based space. In addition, there is a "Science and Creativity Plaza" consisting of science shows, crafts, hands-on experiences of scientific principles, and digital experiences, as well as a large ball coaster themed around apple trees that allows children to enjoy sounds and movements, and a wood-based play area where children can feel the warmth of wood, offering a variety of play and learning experiences.
It has been reborn as an "indoor park" where children can play to their hearts' content and the whole family can enjoy spending time together comfortably.

*Sensory integration: The function of appropriately classifying, organizing, and integrating multiple sensations that enter the body through various sensory organs.

In recent years, climate change has reduced opportunities for children to play outdoors in Nagano City due to weather conditions such as extreme heat, heavy rain, and snowfall. This has led to concerns about a decline in children's physical abilities, including lack of exercise and weakened grip strength. Furthermore, a lack of safe spaces where diverse children can spend time together has also been pointed out.
In the renovation, the goal was to utilize the old center building and respond to diverse local usage scenarios, including creating an environment that supports children's development, passing on scientific learning, providing a resting place for visitors to the adjacent zoo, and creating a comfortable space for adults and children to spend time together.

In response to these challenges, our company went beyond simply renovating the old center and proceeded with creating a "platform that connects the community."
To create a park-like environment indoors, the space is zoned into "quiet" and "active" areas, and the large play equipment is designed with carefully considered materials and shapes to allow children of different ages to safely receive diverse stimuli even in a limited space.
Furthermore, the use of locally sourced timber in the wooden spaces creates a warm and inviting environment that connects you to the forests of Nagano.
We have created rest areas and family restrooms that can be used with peace of mind by people with babies, and the layout plan enhances the continuity with the adjacent zoo.
Furthermore, while reusing displays from the old center, we have updated the learning experience to be more modern by incorporating new science communication and digital content. Through programming experiences in collaboration with universities and community-based events, we are achieving both the transmission of learning that can be enjoyed by three generations and the provision of experiential value that is relevant to the times.
We have created a system to foster connections with the local community so that each visit offers new discoveries and everyone can feel comfortable. Based on safety, inclusivity, and community sustainability, and through repeated consultations with experts, we have worked to create a place where children and adults can feel comfortable.

We are grateful for your proposal and construction of a space where children can play freely. Since the facility opened, it has been used by many children, and we have received many positive reviews in user surveys, indicating that it is operating smoothly.