This community facility, located in the town of Toyotomi in northern Hokkaido, complements other nearby facilities such as a playground for nursery school children, the town hall building, and a library. The entire facility is integrated into a single location to create a network of public facilities. Because the building is located in a severe cold climate, the outside of the building is closed off as much as possible and wrapped with insulation, while light is let in through the hollowed-out walls and top lights around the perimeter. The wooden structure is built as a single unit, and the reinforced concrete core and the outer reinforced concrete wall columns bear the seismic forces.

Japan | Hokkaido

Shinkenchiku December 2013 issue 78P