Article source: Klein Dytham architecture 

Klein Dytham architecture’s Koban forms part of the celebrated Kumamoto Artpolis Program. The program was established in the late 1980s by Morihiro Hosokawa, then Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture but later Japan’s Prime Minister, to increase the quality of public architecture in the region. Arata Isosaki was appointed the program’s commissioner, and he matched architects with projects for new public buildings, either by direct appointment or by arranging design competitions. The program provided the fairly remote region with world-class architecture, including masterworks by such giants of the Japanese scene as Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, Kazuyo Sejima, and Kazuo Shinohara.

Image Courtesy © Koichi Torimura

• Architects: Klein Dytham architecture (Astrid Klein, Mark Dytham, Yukinari Hisayama, Makiko Okano)
• Project: Koban
• Location: Kasuga Kumamoto-shi Kumamoto, Japan
• Photography: Koichi Torimura
• Client: Kumamoto Prefectural Police Headquarters
• Structural Engineer: Structured environment ltd. (Alan Burden, Yutaka Kaneko)
• M&E Engineer: Junji Tanaka M&E office (Junji Tanaka, Shigemori Matsumoto)
• General Contractor: Oda Kensetsu, Kazuhiro Iwanaga
• Structure: RC Structure
• Total Floor Area: 143.62 M²
  
• Design Period: Feb. 2010 – Sep. 2010
• Construction Period: Nov. 2010 – Mar. 2011

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