Tsuruoka City Shonai Nursing School / MIKAMI Architects

Nightingale's Nurse Cap – Located in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture, Tsuruoka is a city where the heritage of the Shonai Domain remains deeply woven into the cultural fabric. The new campus for Tsuruoka City Shonai Nursing School was conceived under the theme of a nursing school grounded in Tsuruoka's history and culture, dedicated to cultivating professionals who will sustain regional healthcare. Sitting quietly within a culturally vibrant corner of the city, the building features distinctive white shades inspired by Florence Nightingale's nurse cap. These shades serve a dual purpose: they are functional devices to control solar heat gain and symbolic gestures to the community, expressing a commitment to the future of local medical care.