RIKEN YAMAMOTO: Future University of Hakodate

摘要

This is a building for a university of information sciences with two departments: complex systems science and information architecture. To create a school building dedicated to studying an emerging field, Yama-moto proposed a space that resembles a design office or a university architecture department, as he felt that the practical working style of the new departments is similar to that of an architectural design. His design attempts to expand the architectural and educational potential of the large space by placing all functions inside a single large area, with many of these functions sharing the open space over a footprint of roughly 100 m square. In the five-story atrium at the south end, each level descends stepwise to the south, offering a magnificent view of the exterior through a large, five-story opening on the south side of the building. This open space is a precast concrete structure with a 12.6 m span, and the programs are neatly arranged inside a systematically organized structure.