Corona and children's outing space

The third wave of the prolonged corona misfortune has finally arrived.

If you have small children, I think you will be more careful about where you go. Ueno Zoo, which can be enjoyed outdoors, fills up quickly with numbered ticket reservations for holidays, and it is difficult to get reservations for mornings on weekdays. Child-rearing support facilities in the ward have a reservation system up to the day before, and the place where you can casually go out with your child depends on the park. When I visited the UNIQLO PARK Yokohama Bayside Store, which opened in April 2020, during the daytime on weekdays, preschool children were playing crazy.

Strangely, many of the commercial facilities that opened this year make use of the connection with the outdoor space.
"Tokyo Mizumachi", which opened between Tokyo Sky Tree and Asakusa Station, is located between Sumida Park and the Kitajukken River, and has become a destination for strolling for buggy moms.

Corona misfortune, baby and outing debut

Since joining the company in 2012, I have been involved in the planning and development of commercial facilities and leisure facilities. A little while after I was born, I wanted to go out soon, and then the coronavirus came, and I was staying at home except for shopping at the supermarket. , desire to go out (desire to inspect?) has risen.

In the first place, there were many things that confused me about going out with children, which I was not used to, and the corona sickness.
Some facilities have banned the provision of baby food in nursing rooms as a measure to prevent infectious diseases, and there have been cases where stroller rentals have been suspended at suburban malls where many visitors come by car. On the other hand, in some cases, when it comes to stroller rentals, the customer service has been devised so that both the borrower and the lending facility can feel at ease. At Tamagawa Takashimaya S・C, where there are many customers with children who come from the train line with a baby carrier, when we rented out the stroller next to the information, they sterilized it in front of the customer before handing it over.

Looking for a safe place to play

From the perspective of a children's playground, the kids' space in the common area of the facility was closed and the playground equipment was removed, and it seems that the facility that accepts infants, who tend to be crowded, is quite nervous. Especially for children who are too young to wear shoes and play in the park, the indoor kids' space is a valuable playground and a place where parents can communicate with other parents and children. I felt it was urgent.

In contrast to the closed and deserted common areas for kids, children's spaces like "Kidokido" operated by Bornelund are bustling with people who pay admission to play.
In addition to temperature measurement and hand sanitization at the time of entry, playground equipment is diligently sanitized, and the number of people in the hall is limited to about half of the normal capacity to provide an environment where people can play freely.

At Green Springs, an open mall that opened in Tachikawa this year, there is an experience facility "PLAY!" that can be enjoyed by families. is moving in. Among them is a playground for children called “PLAY! PARK" is closed twice for 30 minutes during business hours for disinfection. It is a burden on the management side to ask users who are playing to temporarily leave, but "PLAY!" It seems that the system in which customers flow from "" to the restaurant for a break will extend the time spent in the mall as a whole and increase sales.

The popularity of open-air malls connected to the outdoors is expected to continue, but the demand for places where people can play safely indoors is likely to grow even more during the cold season. I would like to raise three major points for creating an indoor kids' space in the future, while making the most of my perspective as a user.

• Play that can be enjoyed without contact

Until now, the kids' space has been equipped with many playground equipment that can be touched and enjoyed to stimulate the five senses of children. However, in today's world where there are concerns about the spread of infection through physical contact, there is a demand for non-contact play that can be enjoyed by using the body and concentrating on thoughts using images and sounds.

• Antibacterial coating + regular disinfection

Even with non-contact content, children touch many parts of the space. In addition to visualizing regular disinfection by staff, it is reassuring to have a long-lasting antibacterial coating. In addition, when installing the disinfectant, it would be nice to install it at a height for adults and at a height that is easy for children to use and out of sight.

• Children's space in a place where ventilation is possible

For facilities to be developed or renovated in the future, it would be a good idea to plan a kids' space in a place where ventilation is possible, such as on the terrace side. If it is united with the terrace and the outdoors,
It will be easier for families with infants who want to play outside and siblings of infants who cannot play outside.

As a space production professional, NOMURA Co., Ltd. comprehensively proposes not only signs for social distancing, antibacterial and antiviral coatings, and splash prevention products, but also soft content that can be enjoyed without contact. In addition, the company has a "TeamM" made up of employees who have just returned from childcare leave, and has a wealth of experience in creating spaces where families can spend time with peace of mind. It seems that the uneasy period will continue for a while, but by helping facility operators to accept customers with peace of mind, I hope to increase the space where everyone from children to the elderly can go out with peace of mind. think.

※「TeamM」
“Creating a “place” and a “mechanism” for the children of the future.”
"Think about space and have a dialogue" "Act for the future"
Launched in 2015 with these three concepts. We are engaged in various activities such as planning and design proposals that make use of our experience in creating spaces and raising children, and conducting surveys and research on industry-academia collaboration.
https://www.teamm.jp/jp/