Community centers provide essential spaces for people to gather and connect. The Sendagaya Community Center, located in the densely populated district of Jingumae in Shibuya, Tokyo, offers a unique and welcoming environment for local residents.
Kengo Kuma & Associates, with support from P. T. Morimura & Associates and Ejiri Structural Engineers, designed the building to prioritize community over commerce. They design this community center with the needs of the town in mind. In the end, they created a spacious location that can accommodate activities and events for the townspeople.
The most eye-catching feature of the Sendagaya Community Center is its circular design. Its unique round features stack up on each other, with slabs in between floors adding a stabilizing definition to its look.
The circular stacks look uneven due to a combination of different factors. The lower floors occupy a larger footprint than the floors above it, each with their own balcony areas filled with plant life and greenery.
For the upper three floors, the design varies its look with the addition of large terraces. In an interesting aside, the play of volumes help break up the symmetry of the main structure. An addition expands from the main circular volume with its own terraces, providing even more room for more plant, crafting a welcoming environment for those who enter.
“The circular slabs create a generous gap between the building and the adjacent properties, allowing maximum light and wind to enter from the outside,” the architects shared.
The interior of the building lends itself to an openness that feels welcoming. A massive atrium in the middle runs from the ground floor to the rooftop, which allows for the thorough diffusement of light. White walls, marble floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and wooden furniture combine to allow the light to bounce around the area with ease.
The circular design extends its use of wooden panels all across the building, from the atrium to the various multi-purpose rooms. These elements help create a cohesive theme for the building, but also provides a sense of flexibility and accessibility to its look and function.
The Sendagaya Community Center supplies its area with an approachable space open to everyone in the area. The design of its rooms and its open atrium accommodates a feeling of adaptability to suit the needs of everyone who lives in this community.
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