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Architects: GEO-GRAPHIC DESIGN LAB
- Area: 8720 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Hiraiwa Airi, Shinkenchiku-sha
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Construction: Himenogumi, Midori Kougyou
Renovation of a former newspaper printing center for contemporary applications. The Tokushima Shimbun Company's former newspaper printing center, situated in the eastern sector of Tokushima City—was bestowed upon Tokushima Prefecture in 2020 following the relocation of its operational functionalities. Despite its vintage of 25 years, the prefecture has resolved to repurpose the printing center into a "Transportation hub for disaster relief supplies" in times of calamity. The prefectural authorities organized a comprehensive hardware and software design competition, encompassing the building's utilization in regular circumstances, proposals for renovation, and sustainable business plans.
Design is characterized by reversibility, establishing a connection between routine conditions and periods of disaster. Since its inauguration in September 2023, the Okinosu Indoor Park at the Eastern Tokushima Prevention Center has witnessed a higher-than-anticipated influx of visitors, emerging as a vibrant hub, particularly for individuals with children. While preserving the remnants of its historical role as a newspaper printing center integral to social infrastructure, this facility was meticulously conceived with a reversible design, anticipating utilization in both routine and disaster scenarios.
The former shipping center, originally responsible for loading newspapers onto trucks post-printing, has been repurposed into a cafe space. The kitchen, once serving as a manager's room, underwent adaptation. The indoor/outdoor partition features a novel polycarbonate sliding door instead of the previous shutter, strategically accommodating truck height for disaster entry. During routine conditions, it functions akin to a shoji screen, facilitating the creation of a cafe-table space. Its location and outdoor configuration enable integration with the area under the canopy.
The reversible design, exemplified by the use of movable shipping pallets to eliminate elevation changes and the installation of a daily-use seawall beneath the counter, adds an element of serendipity for users. Emphasizing the facility's readiness to function as a temporary evacuation center in times of disaster and its potential as a "Transportation hub for disaster relief supplies" is deemed paramount.
The commissioning of visual identity and signage design was entrusted to Mr. Kishino of 6D. Retaining vestiges of the newspaper printing center impart an appealing, rugged spaciousness, echoed in the signage plan utilizing scaffolding pipes and tarpaulins to complement this atmosphere.
