Towada Civic Center Plaza

Located in Towada city in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture, this timber-framed building was built as a community centre for people to gather, particularly during the harsh winter weather. The architects created an indoor landscape that imitates the outdoors, effectively bringing the external environment inside, to provide a safe and sheltered public space for all. For example, the playroom and nursery room have an undulating flooring, which emulates a ‘hilly’ terrain that children can use for play. The spacious centre houses a variety of other rooms such as offices with workstations, meeting rooms, a cooking studio, kiln room and tatami rooms, making it an ideal meeting and leisure place for the public.

SHARED SPACES

Facing a shopping district in the city centre, the goal of the project is to improve communication amongst the citizens, and to become a vibrant centre for interaction, which is integral to the city’s development. As a place for social exchange, the design firm was able to create shared spaces by integrating different function rooms where the community can engage in various activities together.

The site incorporates a street in front of the building that extends into the interior, making it easy for the public to pass through the centre. It has been given the name Michi-no-Hiroba, which means plaza for the street. There is also an exhibition space on the street where events can be held. This place will feature an art gallery, which will showcase work produced by local and international artists. At first, the architects wanted to establish this street as a semi-open-air space; but the climate in the area is too severe during winter—coupled with heavy snow and strong wind—which made such a plan unsuitable.

PROJECT DATA

Project Name	Towada Civic Center Plaza
Location	Towada, Aomori, Japan
Completion Date	14 October 2014
Site Area	5,774.16 square metres
Gross Floor Area	1,486.97 square metres
Number of Rooms	50
Building Height	6.795 metres (maximum height)
Client/Owner	Towada City
Architecture Firm	Kengo Kuma & Associates
Main Contractor	Towada City
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer	Kankyo Engineering Ltd
Structural Engineer	Jun Sato Structural Engineers Co. Ltd
Equipment	Kankyo Engineering Ltd
Textile Design Firms	Kengo Kuma & Associates; Yoko Ando Design
Images/Photos	Kenta Hasegawa; Kengo Kuma & Associates