Japan 2018Yusuhara Community Library / Yururi Yusuhara
Yusuhara, a town on the border of Kochi and Ehime, is often described as a “village above the clouds”. We established a compound of buildings here including library and welfare facilities using mainly cedar, which was sourced from the town.
With a sports facility and daycare center across the lawn, the site has become the heart of the town, promoting exchange and communication between generations of locals.
We assembled the structure mixing steel and cedar, expressing a forest with sunlight filtering through the leaves. We also created an undulating ground rather than a large flat floor, and the raised ground can be used as a stage for events such as lectures or concerts.
In the library, everyone takes their shoes off feeling the warmth of the cedar floor, and reading books anywhere in the space.
At the welfare center facing the library, Rogier Uitenboogaart, developed a washi mixed with bark of Yusuhara trees. It’s applied on the walls of the welfare facility producing a comfortable and warm space.
