Kengo Kuma & Associates

Itomachi Hotel 0

Itomachi Hotel 0
© Masaki Hamada (kkpo)

Itomachi Hotel 0

Kengo Kuma & Associates

LIGHTING DESIGNERS
Spangle

COOPERATION
Ohno JAPAN

DESIGN TEAM
Minoru Yokoo, Takumi Saikawa

DESIGN COOPERATION
Takumi Saikawa Architects

CONSTRUCTION
Dugout Architects

FACILITY ENGINEERS
Kankyo Engineering INC, Factor M, Kankyo Engineering

INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Dugout Architects

AREA
2996 m²

YEAR
2023

LOCATION
Saijo, Japan

CATEGORY
Hotels

We designed a Zero Energy hotel as a community hub for the city of Saijo, which is known as a source of clean “Uchinuki” well water from Mt. Ishizuchi, considered to be a sacred mountain.

Itomachi Hotel 0
© Masaki Hamada (kkpo)
Itomachi Hotel 0
© Masaki Hamada (kkpo)

In 2016, KENGO KUMA LABORATORY at the University of Tokyo began creating a master plan for new environmentally-friendly cities based on the theme of water entitled the “Itomachi Project” in close cooperation with partners in each locale.

Workshops have been conducted with local residents, individual architectural competitions have been held for young architects, and the “Itomachi” network has been built based on these processes.

The “Itomachi” network was used as a node and symbol to design this hotel as a new base of exchange with a new post-coronavirus pandemic age lifestyle that transcends the solving of global environmental problems.

Itomachi Hotel 0
© Masaki Hamada (kkpo)
Itomachi Hotel 0
© Masaki Hamada (kkpo)

The reception wing that is open to the community is completely separated from the lodging wing, and a large “garden” was created in the area between them from which pure “Uchinuki” water bubbles out, which is utilized as an outdoor living room, performance space for events and a camp yard.

This consists of an attempt to expand the definition of hotels using the “garden” concept.

Itomachi Hotel 0
© Masaki Hamada (kkpo)
Itomachi Hotel 0
© Masaki Hamada (kkpo)
Itomachi Hotel 0
© Masaki Hamada (kkpo)

Kengo Kuma & Associates
T +81 3 3401 7721 F +81 3 3401 7778
Kengo Kuma & Associates
2 Chome-24-8 Minamiaoyama, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0062, Japan