© Kawasumi・Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office

Japan 2024Kibi Kogen N SQUARE

2024.3
Okayama
Office | Retail/Cafe/Restaurant
Completed
585
2F

A regional exchange and creative facility centering on coworking and a café in Kibichuo, a town located on the plateau in the center of Okayama Prefecture. A local company Systems Nakashima took the initiative of developing 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 angular misalignment of the panels creates a variety of 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 are to be expected.

Team Shin Oba, Taiki Monaka, Kyoko Mase Construction UG Giken Cooperation Kozo Keikaku Engineering Photography ©︎ Kawasumi-Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office