Reihoku Chōmin Hall

Reihoku Chōmin Hall ( Japanese 苓 北 町 民 ホ ー ル , Reihoku chōmin hōru , dt. " Community Hall Reihoku ", Engl. Reihoku Community Hall ) in Reihoku ( prefecture Kumamoto , Japan ) is a community center with a theater. The building consists of a 993 m² plywood construction, reinforced concrete (foundation) and glass. The Japanese architect Hitoshi Abe designed and built the building from 2001 to 2002. The house was built as part of 1988 by the then governor of Kumamoto Prefecture Morihiro Hosokawainspired Artpolis project. Hitoshi Abe designed the appearance and function of the building according to the needs of the local population. The architect carried out a three-year survey prior to planning and construction.

Building description

The two-storey, block-like community center measures 10 m high, has 207 seats and is located on a 3830 m² site. Because of its black exterior, it looks like a traditional Japanese temple.

Exterior construction

Strict trapezoidal and cuboid shapes characterize both the floor plan and the outer skin. These forms made of cedar wood are broken up by huge glass surfaces. That is why the closed-looking building appears loosely structured in part.

inner space

Inside are the rooms for the community center and a large theater hall. Corridors and corridors were only built in to a limited extent in this house. This means that there are hardly any dividing elements between the two cultural zones. The architecture thus allows for an ambivalence that allows the population to use it flexibly.

further reading

• P. Jodidio: Architecture Now! 3 . Hong Kong, Cologne, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Paris, Tokyo 2008
• A. Stiller, S. Baba: Young Architecture from Japan - Catalog for the exhibition at ETH Zurich 2002

Web links

• Reihoku Chōmin Hall. In: arch INFORM .
• Entry at Artpolis of Kumamoto Prefecture (Japanese)

Coordinates: 32 ° 30 '43.2 "  N , 130 ° 3' 7.8"  E