Gymnasium,
Kyoto Municipal Kyoto Keihoku Elementary and Junior High School

Jul. 01,2021

School and UniversityArena / Gymnasium

Project Description

A new symbol of the Keihoku region, 'Kyoto Municipal Kyoto Keihoku Elementary and Junior High School' is now open

'Kyoto Municipal Kyoto Keihoku Elementary and Junior High School' opened in the northern part of Kyoto City in April 2020.
Built along a hill as a symbol of the Keihoku region, the school is a warm and welcoming building with a lot of wood used throughout. The school library is open even to local residents on Saturdays and Sundays. This is for strengthening ties with the community. 'It is an 'environment where the community participates in raising and educating children'.
As part of this initiative, 'Retractable Seating System' were introduced in the gymnasium hall of the school. The present day gymnasium hall came into being as a result of the wish from both the school and the community. They wanted to use the gymnasium hall as a hub for various cultural school events and community activities in addition to the regular classes held there.

Retractable Seating System converted the gymnasium into a multipurpose space

Retractable Seating System is a stepped seating structure that can be folded when not in use, and expanded when needed.
You just need to expand it to accommodate the audience during ceremonies or events. Usually stowed in its storage unit installed on a wall, it leaves the space free for you to use.

The gymnasium of Kyoto Keihoku Elementary and Junior High School uses the manual type of retractable seating system that need to be expanded manually. Operating the retractable seating system is very simple. To use the stepped seating structure, you just need to pull it out by using the provided lever, attach the handrails on both the sides, and also attach the side curtains to guard the structure against any intrusion.

The seats are of bench type and are 450mm wide for one person. Total, it can accommodate 98 people. Each seat as a line on it indicating where to sit. But this being a bench, it can be used flexibly. Smaller children can sit close to each other and if you have smaller group, then you can sit spaciously.

It is a stepped structure making it easy for the audience to see the stage even from the rear seats. During classes, the stepped structure offers a clear view of the teacher on the stage to the students, and the teacher can also see all the students. The teacher can talk to the students while judging their expressions and reactions, thus making the class interactive.

Kyoto Municipal Kyoto Keihoku Elementary and Junior High School is a new school that has just opened.

It is hoped that the children who study in this wonderful environment will become the future leaders of the Keihoku region.

Facility Overview

The Keihoku region of Ukyo-ku is located in the northernmost part of Kyoto City. The region is situated in the Tanba Highlands which span the Hyogo, Shiga and Fukui Prefectures, and is rich in nature. The region has been the center of the capital since the Hakuho - Heian period and has also prospered as a forestry town. But in recent years, it has suffered from a declining population.
Since 2014, the PTAs of three elementary schools and one junior high school in the Keihoku area have held discussions about the future educational environment, and decided to establish a new 'Compulsory Education School' where elementary and junior high school students can study together in one facility throughout nine years. The school opened in April 2020.

The school building, blending well with the hilly landscape, is a symbol of the community harmonizing with the cityscape of Keihoku.