Wooden Hut Complex in Japan Provides Valuable Resources for Seniors

With its pointed rooftops poking out from the trees, Jikka looks like it belongs in a fantasy book. But the complex serves a practical purpose: It provides food and care to the senior citizens of a rural community in Japan, dezeen reports.

Jikka was designed by Tokyo-based architect Issei Suma with two residents in mind. A social worker and a cook, both women in their 60s, live in the complex of wood-paneled tents and use it to provide resources to other elderly people in the area. A food delivery service for older clients is based out of the central kitchen hut, and locals with health issues can come to the site for nursing care.

Each of the five teepees was built for a specific purpose. The structure includes visitors’ quarters, room for storage, and a spiraling pool that guests in wheelchairs can enter with ease.

Providing care to the elderly is a pressing issue in Japan. More than 25 percent of the country's population is 65 or older, and those numbers are set to reach 40 percent by 2055. As Japan’s rural communities age, Jikka and sites like it could help fill a growing need.

[h/t dezeen]

All images: Ota Takumi

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