Mito Civic Center

Known for the Art Tower Mito designed by Arata Isozaki, the city of Mito will be getting a new civic centre, a complex planned for a site adjacent to the tower. While the Art Tower is a complex of galleries and small halls, each dedicated to art, music or theatre—the new multipurpose centre, with its 2,000-seat multipurpose hall, will provide local citizens with a place they can use for a variety of events.

The south side of the site faces a shopping street that stretches from the station, so transparent spaces such as studios and meeting rooms will be placed there. A 500-seat mid-sized hall, a large conference room and galleries, all of which can be used for trade shows and conventions, have been placed in the central section.

The salient feature is that the perimeters of the large hall, enclosed with concrete walls, will be enveloped in a pre-modern yagura tower-like structure made solely of wooden posts and beams. The entrance area beside the large hall is even named Yagura Plaza, and is designed as a multipurpose space that is more open than the hall, to be used for semi-outdoor markets, product exhibitions, public viewing events and other events.

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PROJECT DATA

Project Name
Mito Civic Center

Location
Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

Design Period
August 2016 to March 2019

Construction Period
April 2020 to October 2022 (scheduled)

Principal Uses
Theatre; gallery; retail

Designed in collaboration with
Yokosuka Mitsuo Architectural

Structural Engineer
ARUP

M&E Consultants
ES Associates; Ohtaki E&M Consulting Office

Acoustic Engineer
Nagata Acoustics

Lighting Design
Lighting Planners Associates (LPA)

Constructors
Takenaka Corporation; KABUKI CONSTRUCTION; SuzukiRyo Corporation; Aoi Kensetsu Kogyo; Sekine Komuten JV

Structure
Reinforced concrete; steel; wood

Scale
4 storeys; 2 basements

Site Area
8,284.95 square metres

Building Area
6,952.37 square metres

Total Floor Area
23,169.58 square metres

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