Photography:Photo Studio SHIN Motomu Shingoku

The Komono Youkien relief centre (capacity 170) stood some 2km east of the Komono Chikusaen. However, due to the deterioration of blocks 1 through 3, a rebuilding project was initiated. As conditions made the task of rebuilding on the same site extremely difficult, this new facility (capacity 60, accommodation 8) was built at a new location. Furthermore, with the increasing age of the facility users in mind, the new design aimed to create a barrier-free "living space" that would accommodate a variety of needs including those of users with disabilities. While serving as a relief centre, a unit-care system was adopted with four units, each with 14-16 persons, with two people per living quarters, in order to establish a configuration that would allow a more "at-home" style of care.
Each unit was named after local familiar objects such as "Nippon Kamoshika", "Komono-giku", "Uguisu" and "Keyaki". Theme colors were applied and different lighting was utilized to give character to each unit, and the shared areas were also given names associated with the region. The site to the east of Komono Chikusaen (10,195m²) is owned by the corporation, and the design and positioning of the facility is in line with the future master-plans.