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Nippon Steel Hirohata Hospital
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Client: Nippon Steel Hirohata Hospital |
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| Zepp Sendai | |
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Client: Hall Network Inc. |
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Sanyo Gakuen Girls' Junior High School
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Client: The Sanyo Girls' Foundation |
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The Practical Ethnics Association Seminar House
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Client: The Practical Ethics Association |
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Tokyo Catholic Seminary
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Client: Archdiocese of Tokyo |
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Meguro Seibi Gakuen Elementary School
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Client: Meguro Seibi Gakuen Elementary School |
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A large-scale modernization project was planned for the Nippon Steel Hirohata Hospital in western Himeji City because the facilities had become dilapidated and continuous additions to the facilities over time had caused them to become decentralized. By integrating the main building, making it more sophisticated and making it the central building, all with the concept of "kindness," the aim was to build a hospital that could be easily used by patients, staff and administration. The inside of the hospital has been designed with a hospital mall that penetrates from north to south through the building, turning what could be a crowded traffic line area into a lucid space. Different theme colors are used in the various blocks and wards. The interior is designed to have a soft touch, using natural materials and wood making the most of the wooden surfaces, turning the building into a peaceful place.
Construction of the Sony-affiliated standing-room-only-type live house, "Zepp Sendai" has been completed in the redevelopment area on the eastern side of JR Sendai station. The hall takes 1,600 people, and in order for the audience and artists to feel as one, the first floor audience area was made into almost a square to increase visibility. By also making the second floor audience area standing room only, it could be built closer to the stage making for a more compact live space. Also, the row of glass-walled restaurants has an inviting openness that makes a fine comparison with the closed feeling of the hall. Various events are held every week, and this site has become a new cultural transmission spot for the eastern side of Sendai Station.
Although being in a suburban area of western Hiroshima City, Sanyo Gakuen is located in a quiet and green environment. Aiming at creating an even better educational environment, the school newly built a junior high school, adding to the existing senior high school and junior college. The theme used when the existing campus was refurbished, "a rich space entwined with light and shadow, and with wind and green" took over, and the materials used were limited to concrete and wood. The aim was to create a comfortable educational environment taking in natural light and wind as much as possible through a lucid, flat building and structural plan for this plain space. The building consists of a four-floor atrium hall in the middle with classrooms built in V-shapes around it. The classrooms are designed to allow wind to pass through and light to get in from two of the walls, taking advantage of the rich natural environment.
Located south of the city of Kanazawa on a site with a wonderful view of the Sea of Japan, construction of a seminar house for The Practical Ethics Association has been completed, on the 55th anniversary of its foundation. The elongated building has a Japanese tile gable roof, with training rooms and cafeteria around a central courtyard, connected by a semi-exterior corridor, with accommodation facilities located further back. The deep pent-roof of the corridor is consistent with the climate of Kanazawa, and the whole facility is unified connecting inside and outside by ensuring the flow of the natural wind and the natural view. While construction of buildings with a height over eight meters is forbidden by law in this landscape area, making maximum use of the sloping ground level, it was possible to create a large space with the capacity of 2,500 people. The scattered layout of the facility means that distant and close views could be beautifully arranged without being too daunting, and separate use of the different functional areas can be easily achieved.
This was a plan to rebuild the school buildings on the Tokyo Catholic Seminary campus located deep in the woods of Musashino. The new single-story and partly two-story building has a gable roof. The chapel, classroom wings and student and staff dormitories are connected by corridors around the chapel in a U-shape, with a courtyard located in the center. Both the interior and exterior were finished using earthen colored tiles, concrete and wood, materials that create an esthetic taste over time. To ensure longevity of the building, painstaking efforts were used during the quality control for the mixing and pouring of the concrete, equipment that may need replacing can be done so easily, and future additions to the building or changes in use can be easily undertaken. Consideration was also given to the use of natural light and wind, to make as much use as possible of natural energy.
A new school building for Meguro Seibi Gakuen Elementary School has been completed in the quiet residential area of Meguro in Tokyo. The complex design of the exterior, with a tower, dome and sloping roof intertwining, is designed to keep harmony with the town. A light court has been built to bring in natural light from outside to the basement space, and on the ground level, a space full of light, wind and greenery was created by drawing on the surrounding greenery. The aboveground frame of the building uses Superresistant Concrete (100-Year Concrete), with 227 by 60 millimeter tiles on the exterior walls and cuprous oxide panels on the roof. Also, solid wood has been placed at several locations throughout the building, giving the building resistance performance as well as a flavor that will deepen over time. Utmost consideration was given to the safety of the children while this work was carried out over three years while lessons were continuing.