MiiMo

Miyake, Nara, Japan
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
Photo © Yohei Sasakura
© Yohei Sasakura
Drawing © GGDL
Drawing © GGDL
Drawing © GGDL
Architects
Geo-Grarphic Design Lab.
Location
Miyake, Nara, Japan
Year
2021
Client
三宅町 Miyake Town
Architect
Shigeki Maeda , Terumasa Nakano
Structural Design
tmsd TakashiManda Structural Design Office
Equipment Design
Shimazu Sekkei
Exterior Design
soji
Graphic Design
UMA / design farm
Fabric Design
fabricscape
Lighting Design
Tuki lighting office
Constructor
Morigumi

A "locus of affiliation" crafted through reciprocal harmonization between individuals and the milieu.

Aligned with MiiMo's overarching vision, persisting from foundational schematics to the administrative strategy of fostering "a domicile for every municipal denizen wherein diverse generations interconnect and cultivate local allure," we collaborated intimately with town inhabitants and personnel throughout the design phase. In the course of the dialogue process, each successive generation of town residents accentuated the significance of perpetuating their historical engagements, ensuring visibility and audibility of their endeavors to forge the enticing communal milieu. I surmised this would engender connectivity.

Moreover, in consideration of the positioning of each individual, we have conceived the "tranquil enclave" and a "vibrant precinct," contingent upon the time of day and the nature of the activity. We have instituted the framework that empowers users to modulate their spatial placement, enabling both visibility and seclusion as desired. The design of the interior and exterior landscapes is orchestrated, treating furniture, movable partitions, and curtains on par with architectural elements. By endowing users and administrators with agency to proactively calibrate the surroundings to a personally comfortable state, a realm is fashioned wherein they may comport themselves as they wish. Additionally, the inhabited landscape itself evolves into the environment for others, culminating in the scenario where diverse generations coexist in concurrent pursuit of individual activities, rendering the allure of the locale perceptible.

Redefining the intrinsic worth of the locale through the establishment of an interrelation among three edifices converging around the plaza.

Over the past decade, I have contemplated that the three-dimensional interstitial space crafted by architecture should engender the novel interplay with the environs both within and beyond the premises, thereby redefining the locale's inherent value. Preceding the reconstruction at the MiiMo site, the community center obstructed the frontal aspect of the hall, leaving no space for pedestrians and children to linger. By amalgamating the requisite zones for the diverse demographic of Miyake Town, including the reconstruction of the community center, post-school childcare, and child-rearing support functions, within the precinct housing the town hall and hall, we aim to establish three mutually facing structures, with MiiMo Plaza at their focal point. It was my intention to cultivate connections and redefine the worth of spaces with maximal discretion. The comprehensive design endeavors for the entire site can be encapsulated in the ensuing three tenets.

① Demarcate the parking facility, augment the pedestrian-exclusive expanse encircling the MiiMo plaza, and strategically situate specialized gastronomic establishments.
② Fabricate a tri-dimensional perspective for MiiMo Plaza beneath the expansive canopy, seamlessly linked to interior spaces including the grand staircase and second-floor terrace.
③ The expansive roof, adorned with a gentle curvature and upheld by pillars, manifests the delineation envisioned by Jan Gehl—the spatial threshold or boundary zone—for MiiMo Square.

Building use: COMMUNITY COMPLEX
Structure Scale: S 3 floors above ground Site
Area: 1,542.28㎡
Building Area: 967.02㎡
Total Floor Area: 1,881.56㎡

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