Three fundamental ideals were proposed by the collaboration with Kanno Lab of Tohoku University.
1. Deinstitutionalisation; to design a space which is similar to the home.
2. The barrier free; to activate the communication with corporate organisations in the neighbourhood.
3. The workshop system; to organise the facilities with the cooperation work, by participating with children of tenants and neighbours.
The residential building was designed like an apartment from the first floor to the third, a maisonette type for the fourth and fifth floor. This oriented a complex of two buildings. To afford the service path, each floors were set back along the slope, roof balcony and living space were combined. The living rooms for children were separated into small units (houses), the kitchen and dining room were designed to be the main space for staff. Each zones was then connected to the bridge room and here contains the middle units (houses) which were arranged considering the management position. Private rooms are located for the children who permanently reside here.
The communication space is the main organisation of the complex. On the first floor, various rooms were established for administration purposes and neighbours. For the volunteer reference service of the region welfare activity, the main entrance and offices were positioned on the second floor. The chapel (gymnasium) accommodates 250 of removable seats to afford multipurpose use of worship, concert and lecture. The reflector was established on the top of the stage, the floor planning and finishing material of the stage area were considered in relation to the acoustics of the building and this researched was simulated by Yoshino Lab of Tohoku University.
Location:Komatsuchima, Sendai, Japan
Principal use:dwellinge ridge (80)
communication space
chapel (gymnasium)
Finished time: 1996.6
Site area:6,851m²
Total floor area:53,341m²
Structure: reinforced concrete (bearing wall)
partly steel structure (lattice roof)
