Japan 2013Ginza Kabukiza
We designed the fifth phase of Ginza Kabukiza as a tribute to the history of the Kabukiza, which has continued to function as the cultural center of Tokyo and a symbol of Japanese culture since the first Kabuki-za (1889), launched by the merger of three Edo theatres. Following the structure of Shinichiro Okada (1924) in the third phase and Isoya Yoshida (1950) in the fourth phase with a karahafu roof in the center and staggered gables on either side. A 29-storey high-rise office building was placed above the facade to create a monument of Japanese befitting Ginza Kobikicho.
In the interior, the dynamic ceiling of the pole-rimmed ceiling springs diagonally up to the pier on the fourth floor, starting from a proscenium with a strong horizontality of 27 meters, said to be the widest spanning proscenium in Japan. By continuing and developing that original design invented by Isoya Yoshida, a dynamic and unified theatre space was created, differing from the traditional flat coffered ceiling.
In the basement an underground plaza with a disaster-prevention area connected to the Metro was created, while the side facade was opened up to Kobikicho Street. On the rooftop, a Japanese garden with a café was created as an attempt to connect with the community and make Kabukiza more integrated with the public. The Kabukiza, which has had a closed structure since the Meiji era, was revitalized in the modern era with the aim of becoming a ‘Japanese opera house’, modelled on the way playhouses in Edo were part of civic life and integrated with the city.
*not available for publication
