Japan 2023Yuwa Junior High School
This project is located in Arida, a town known for its mandarin oranges and the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails. As a new school that merges four closing schools, we proposed a school that is open to the community.
By dividing the school into separate buildings, we created public spaces between the buildings that connect the surrounding neighborhood, the school grounds, and views toward the Arida River.
Furthermore, we used local Kishu wood in the public spaces to evoke a sense of warmth and softness that feels familiar to the local community.
The main interior space is the grand staircase, which has a vibrantly colored plaster wall. The color is created from the lye of local mandarin orange peels kneaded into cement plaster. Through these features, we created a facility that can become a center for interaction in the town of mandarin oranges.
