For this project, we undertook the design of a children's school inside the ballpark as part of the development of Hokkaido Es Con Field. While continuing on the purpose of the children’s schools we have designed in the past, we incorporated various techniques to further evolve the project. We also took advantage of the site's unique topography to design an architecture that is rooted in this terrain. A Space for Early Childhood Education in the Information Society The way we work continues to change in the information society. We believe that even in places for early childhood education, it is necessary to cultivate the abilities necessary for the information society. Based on three themes that we think are necessary for the information society, we envisioned a design where the architecture itself becomes a teaching tool to naturally acquire the mindset necessary for the information society, without having to create rules through words. 1. Ability to co-create In society, the ability to co-create with people with different skills is necessary. In this new school building we have created an ‘inner garden’ space, which is halfway between an interior and an exterior garden. Classrooms for all ages are arranged around this inner garden. Children playing in the garden outside, the inner garden, and inside the building can see each other, so that while doing different things, they can go to different places to play if they feel like it, and naturally fostering co-creation. 2. Ability to comprehend space Spatial awareness is a necessary skill in the information society. This ability is said to be useful in creating things that cannot be expressed in words, such as art and design. One way to develop this skill is by playing and living in three-dimensional places, or spaces that are difficult to grasp visually, while simultaneously using the body and brain. Utilizing the undulating topography, we designed the space with rises and falls both in its interior and exterior. The exterior terrain and the interior undulations are seamlessly integrated so that the two environments are connected, allowing children to move back and forth between the two as they play. Additionally, colors and shapes are used in the polygonal space to make the space difficult to grasp through perspective. 3. Ability to embrace diversity The school building combines free-form polygonal spaces with as few right angles as possible. Polygonal spaces do not have a clearly defined and recognizable center, and because various places can be created within a space, people can naturally share the same space even while engaging in different activities. We avoided using the same colors for both the exterior and interior, opting instead for various colors and shapes to create a building that affirms diversity. Lastly, the building features antlers that grow from its structure. These antlers pop out of the snow even when it accumulates on the roof in winter, and they serve as special windows that bring light indoors even in Hokkaido, where daylight hours are short. We hope that when the children who graduate from this preschool grow up, they will remember the preschool building with the antlers.