By Leah Linhares
Photography: Courtesy the architects
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©Taisuke
Ogawa
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Stroll into the
multipurpose complex at Konan ward in Niigata city for a first-hand experience
of the futuristic societal spot designed by renowned Japanese practice Chiaki Arai Urban and Architecture Design…
Comprising
a theatre, library, local museum and a community
centre, and developed through workshops, this versatile cultural centre in Niigata
Prefecture, Japan is designed on the principle of ‘for the people, by the
people’.
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©Kouichi
Satake
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A walk inside
the centre engulfs you with a feeling of being in space! The walls of the
corridor –‘Cross Street’, connecting the four programs, twinkles with lights
all around as the concrete structure envelope appears luminous with its
punctures acting as a breathing skin for the building.
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©Taisuke
Ogawa
|
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©Chiaki
Arai Urban and Architecture Design
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Concrete
planes overlap creating distinct spaces for the programs, nesting into each
other and the Cross Street. Certain rooms like the music practice room are
vertically nested allowing daylight to naturally fill up the gap between its
ceiling and the building roof.
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©Shinkenchiku-sha
Co. Ltd.
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©Taisuke
Ogawa
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Making the
space less austere and more user friendly, are movable sliding walls that
enable the merging or separation of spaces, maximizing the limited space as
desired.
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©Taisuke
Ogawa
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Another captivating aspect of this centre is
the 413 seat multifunction Hall; designed with numerous softly curving bands of
lights, it creates a strong visual impression, defining the curves of the walls
and ceiling. This engaging hall has side walls punctuated with 7000 circles
enabling sound absorption, sound diffusion and lighting. Its stage – another of
its highlight - is styled with a movable acoustic reflector system that enables
the reflectors to a position that adds about 3 m. to the depth of the stage,
giving this small scale hall sufficient area to host large orchestras!
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©Taisuke
Ogawa
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