ArchShowcase 
Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Onomichi City Office in Hiroshima, Japan by Nikken SekkeiJanuary 28th, 2022 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Nikken Sekkei More than a city office: a new site to see Known for its beautiful archipelago of some 700 islands, Japan’s Setonaikai (Seto Inland Sea), is the largest waterway of its type in the country. Located in the center of the sea, Onomichi is surrounded by the Onomichi Channel, a key historic point for maritime traffic, and by a trio of mountains home to ancient temples. Used as a setting for many literary works and movies, the area’s scenery has more recently been recognized as a Japan Heritage Site. It has also become a mecca for cyclists, and attracts both domestic and overseas interest.  Image Courtesy © SATOH PHOTO
 Image Courtesy © SATOH PHOTO Onomichi City Office is more than a government office building. The first and second floors and the rooftop have terraces with a view of the garden-like landscape. Connected by stairwell, they remain open to the public after office hours and on holidays. More than a municipal administrative facility, the goal was to create a government building that would also serve as a new Onomichi landmark, and a site to see. An urban-friendly, sea-embracing design In making the most of its location facing the Onomichi waterway, the goal was to create not a government building with a view of the sea, but a government building on the sea. Protruding seaward to the south, the contours erase all but the sea from view, creating the sensation of floating on water. In addition, the southward slope of the building blocks direct light and reduces the heat load. On the other hand, its gradual setback from the north side urban area lined with detached houses is unoppressive, allowing unobstructed sunlight.  Image Courtesy © SATOH PHOTO  Image Courtesy © SATOH PHOTO Truss columns that match the building’s incline are employed around the perimeter to increase horizontal stiffness and maximize the seismic isolation effect. The truss shape also minimizes the pile count by consolidating foundation beam columns, thereby reducing construction cost and environmental impact. A laid-back architecture that appeals to the senses The objective with this design was to create an architecture that embodied unique “Onomichi time” – where ferryboats come and go and the daily pace is leisurely. A building with a human touch would be more appealing to the five senses than a “functionally supreme” homogenous structure, it was thought. Windows can be opened and closed freely by office workers. The false ceiling was eliminated in the office space and ceiling fans installed to generate airflow with consistent temperature and humidity. The lighting is simple, with fixtures attached to cable racks which can be freely wired without the installation of raised floors. Wooden louvers, polished concrete floors, and bare steel eaves were selected to allow for some unevenness and color variation. The laid-back, customizable architecture should gain in character and appreciation as time passes.  Image Courtesy © SATOH PHOTO  Image Courtesy © ToLoLo Studio Turning the everyday into the exceptional (“wow!”) Onomichi boasts the largest shipbuilding and maritime transport industries in Japan. Thus, incorporating relevant technologies into the architectural design seemed like a superb idea. The building’s exterior is comprised of 12mm thick steel plates formed at a shipmaker and delivered directly by sea. The soft outer look was accomplished by employing the unique shipbuilder’s “gyotetsu” (roll forming) technique, in which three-dimensional shapes are processed by repeated heating and cooling. Transporting materials by sea meant that size limits no longer applied, so that conventional architectural scales could be re-imagined: hence, the installation of 18-meter wide exterior steel plates and 13-square meter steel sheet eaves. By embracing shipbuilding and shipping technologies, the everyday was converted into the exceptional, with a \”wow!” effect. The possibilities of architectural design were pushed passed their limits.  Image Courtesy © SATOH PHOTO  Image Courtesy © ToLoLo Studio  Image Courtesy © ToLoLo Studio  Image Courtesy © SATOH PHOTO  Image Courtesy © ToLoLo Studio  Image Courtesy © SATOH PHOTO  Image Courtesy © ToLoLo Studio  Image Courtesy © SATOH PHOTO  Image Courtesy © SATOH PHOTO  Image Courtesy © SATOH PHOTO  Image Courtesy © Nikken Sekkei  Image Courtesy © Nikken Sekkei
Contact Nikken Sekkei
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
email
Facebook
Twitter
RSS Feed
