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Architects
Location
Iiyama, Nagano Prefecture, JapanArea
4000.0 sqmProject Year
2015Photographs
Kengo Kuma & Associates
Kengu Kuma & Associates has unveiled designs for a small cultural complex comprising of two halls and a community centre located in Iiyama, Japan. According to the architects, "publicly funded cultural centers tend to be alienated from the rest of the town for their typically large volumes." As a result, they designed "the complex to be as open as possible toward the town and the landscape of Iiyama, so that all would exist in harmony."
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The three main spaces are scattered across the site as separate, independent buildings, while providing a roofed street called "Nakamichi," or central path, in the gaps. "Nakamichi is open towards many directions and could be a passage to seamlessly connect activities between the town and Iiyama Plaza. The big hall can vary into different forms according to users’ purposes – from a pit-typed auditorium to a terraced seating theater using roll-back seating. The large opening of this hall can also be open as part of Nakamichi."
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The town lies on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line, which is scheduled to run from the end of 2014. The addition of this high speed transport link is estimated to have a significant impact on the town's community and economy. Kengo Kuma & Associates argue that, "given this timing, we would like to see the architecture encourage a revival of the streets and gathering places for people, and to connect them firmly to the ground."
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The project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2015.