Text description provided by the architects. A PFI project to develop a facility that will also serve as the venue for the Tochigi National Athletic Meet to be held in 2022 This is a large-scale sports complex comprising the main arena, sub-arena, indoor swimming pool, and fitness functions that can be used for large-scale competitions and professional sports.
The site is located at the east end of Tochigi Sports Park where the Tochigi Prefectural Police Maneuver Center was originally built and is surrounded by residential areas. Given these characteristics, we believed it was important to consider overall seamlessness within the park and create a new hub of engagement centered around sports that were open to the local community.
The ground has been excavated down to the level of the underground passageway to create Koryu no Oka("Engagement Hill"), which gently connects the site with the central area of the park up to Marronnier Terrace on the second floor. This ensures a connected sense of unity with the park and the town. With Koryu no Oka, a safe pedestrian network has been formed across the entirety of Tochigi Sports Park, successfully creating a new place of relaxation for local residents.
In addition, the main arena, sub-arena, and indoor swimming pool have been arranged with Engagement Hill at the center to provide each access to all three buildings, making the facility easy for anyone to access on a regular basis. By creating a "see and be seen" relationship everywhere with the extensive use of glass walls, a wide range of activities can be communicated through sports and cultivate a bustling landscape.
For the exterior of the facility made up of three building volumes, we created a design that would give all three volumes with their different sizes and shapes a sense of unity and decided to represent stones inspired by the Oya Quarry for which Tochigi is famous. On the exterior walls, we created shade using a PC version of Nikko cedar board formwork to express the strength of Oya stone.
The tops and bottoms of the outer walls are designed without the use of metal edges, and the eaves have a special coating that evokes a sense of texture and mass. Further, to create a reality carved out of stone, we used actual Oya stone for the parts carved into vertical slit shapes to present an image with the unique flavor of Tochigi. The interior of the main corridor on the first floor, which connects the three buildings, was created with a focus on continuity from the vibrant and powerful exterior.
Specifically, based on the geometric patterns of traditional Kanuma-kumiko wood latticework, the lighting and floor signs are arranged in diagonal lines, creating a design that has the sense of movement befitting a sports facility. Additionally, some of the concrete on the walls has been carved out with water jets to create a powerful look that blends in with the exterior stonework. The sculptural expression of the exterior is also replicated in fine detail elsewhere, including the shape of the diving boards, reception counter, and signs, to produce a consistent worldview throughout the facility.
