STGK Inc.

Watching Over the City

Kainan nobinos

Kainan nobinos is a multi-function facility built on the grounds of the old city hall which relocated due to aging. It is a multi-function facility with a library as the main feature, it also provides a place for the local community to gather, as well as offering lifelong learning support and childcare support. We have undertaken the landscape design for the facility.
The entrance to the building is located on what would be considered as the second floor, with a parking lot on the ground floor. This creates a vast slope with a height difference of four meters connecting the outside to the entrance. With the concept of a hill that watches over the city and also watched over by the city, we aimed to create a space to nurture rich everyday activities.
The slope is covered entirely with grass, and structured in the form of a terraced rice field with segmented areas of different sizes. They feature simple elements such as tree shades, steps, and pieces of furniture in order to accommodate a variety of activities. The furniture scattered on the slope resemble color cards that represent “the colors of Kainan”, and they are designed to enhance the identity of the facility together with the signage and interior design.

> Kainan nobinos

  • Status

    Completed 2020

  • Location

    Kainan, Wakayama

  • Client

    Kainan City

  • Landscape area

    ca. 4,500m2

  • Architects

    TOHATA ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS

  • Overall design direction / Sign design

    HIROMURA DESIGN OFFICE

  • Interior design

    TAIJI FUJIMORI ATELIER

  • Play ground equipment design

    Kazuo Kobayashi

  • Planting plan

    TREEFORTE

  • Photography

    Nacása & Partners Inc.(1-4)/ KATSUYA KITAYAMA PHOTOGRAPHER OFFICE (5-11)

  • STGK's role

    Landscape design

  • Designers

    Gen Kumagai, Jun Miyamoto, Hiroki Shizuya

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