The new city hall was built to consolidate the functions of city halls that had been dispersed in nine locations after the merger of five towns and villages. A column-head seismic isolation structure was adopted so that the building can function as a disaster prevention center. The structure is composed of precast concrete columns and beams that are post-tensioned, and the exterior is finished with cypress panels that were cut and sawn from forests owned by Azumino City. Only the fourth floor, where facilities and equipment to maintain the functions of the building are located, is steel-framed because it is outside the grid of the lower floors, and the exterior walls are finished with galvanized steel sheets.

Japan | Nagano

Shinkenchiku September 2015 issue 100P