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Architects: Nikken Sekkei
- Area: 4605 m²
- Year: 2020
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Photographs:Takumi Ota
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Manufacturers: GRAPHISOFT, Lumion, GANTAN BEAUTY INDUSTRY, IOC Flooring, Sangetsu, YKK AP, Yashima Mokuzai
Amakusa City is Located in Kumamoto Prefecture Japan on the Island of Kyushu. Unusually for Japan, there is no train station in Amakusa city, and thus the private car has become the best form of transportation here. This Project attempts to provide a building which opens up to the public much like a "Station", providing multi-functional public space that can be
accessed freely by everyone.
The building is named “KOKORASU”, which is a combination of Japanese worlds: KOKO + KORASU + SU. KOKO means "here", KORASU means "come in" Local Amakusa dialect and SU means "nest". The building houses a public library, a public health center and a public hall. All of these facilities face a courtyard which provides a comfortable green outdoor space, positioned such that any of the activities of these public facilities can easily spill out into the courtyard spaces.
Part of the courtyard landscape is gradually elevated, connecting it with public library on the 2nd floor. Our design intention was to create very interesting experiences and interactions among users of the various public facilities through the placement of the curved shaped building surrounding the courtyard space.
The building's roof, created by the combination of four dynamically curved surfaces with different slopes, is supported by a frame made from local timber for which Amakusa is well known. Where the curved roof plans overlap, pleasant daylight from the north enters together with fresh air from the mountainside. The roof structure also creates large span, column free spaces for its interior functions. As a result, an open, public "Station" was born, welcoming everyone to experience and create their own story and experience at "KOKORASU". Wataru Tanaka / NIKKEN SEKKEI
