Kibi Kogen N Square
Kibi Kogen N Square
Kengo Kuma & Associates
ARCHITECTS
Kengo Kuma & Associates
DESIGN TEAM
Shin Oba, Taiki Monaka, Kyoko Mase
COOPERATION
Kozo Keikaku Engineering
CONSTRUCTION
Ug Giken
PHOTOGRAPHS
Kawasumi-kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office
AREA
585 M²
LOCATION
Okayama, Japan
YEAR
2024
CATEGORY
Mixed Use Architecture, Offices, Commercial Architecture
A regional exchange and creative facility centering on coworking and a café in Kibichuo, a town on the plateau in the center of Okayama Prefecture. A local company, Systems Nakashima, took the initiative to develop the project.
CLT panels, of which Okayama is the largest producer in Japan, were used throughout the structure and interior.
The CLT panels, 2.2m wide, 35m long, and 21cm thick, are stacked at varying angles across the site, with a height difference of approximately 4m.
The panels' angular misalignment creates various spaces and openings in between.
The open space, which differs from the closed and repetitive impression of conventional CLT structures, represents the spirit of the facility's theme of openness and collaboration within the local community, including the participation of local Okayama University in the co-working space.
Through these spaces, a crossover of activities that transcend generations and industry-academia boundaries is expected.
