Matsuyama City, Ehime, Japan
Ishimoto Architectural & Engineering Firm

Photography © Atsushi Nakamichi

Traditional detailing inspires this athletic facility

"It's like an Olympic Village. The traditional Japanese temple vocabulary elevates it to a romantic framework." —Allison Williams, FAIA Architect Ishimoto Architectural & Engineering Firm www.ishimoto.co.jp Client Ehime Prefecture Key players Shigeru Ban/Van Structural Design Studio (structural); Takenaka Corporation (general contractor)

Program: The client envisioned a state-of-the-art athletic facility that would improve the institution's overall national and international prominence and increase enrollments and visitors. They wanted a building that would be highly visible and sustainable. They also sought a facility that reflected local traditions and cultures, involved the community during the design process, and stimulated the local economy by using available resources.

Solution: Featuring one of Japan's largest wooden gable roofs, this facility welcomes visitors into a vast public space hosting athletic activities, cultural events, conventions, and festivals. The two new buildings are made almost entirely of indigenous materials. The roof's cedar truss beams, whose diamond pattern is reminiscent of traditional Japanese clothing designs and family crests, were all produced locally. Similarly, the stones used for the floor and the clay and ceramic tiles used for the roofs are from the immediate area. Product supply for the building's construction netted a sizable income for the economy. Five months after completion of the facility, the number of visitors increased nearly sixfold, with 20 major events having occurred in the space, including one international athletic competition.

For more images please see the November 2004 issue or Architectural Record.
Subscribe to Architectural Record in print, or get Architectural Record digitally

Browse the Projects

The Winners: Limerick County Hall | Britomart Transport Centre | Ehime Prefectural Budokan | Humane Society/SPCA of San Antonio and Bexar County | James M. Wood Comm. Cntr. | Finn Center, Community School of Music and Arts | Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center | MoMA QNS | Iron Studio, Penland School | Israeli Foreign Ministry

The Finalists: Quintessa Winery | FDNY Fire Zone | University Health Network/ Toronto Hospita | General Mills, World Headquarters | Hotel Monaco (Tariff Building) | Marion Oliver McCaw Hall | Ford Rouge Center | San Francisco Ferry Building | Brentwood Skytrain Station

Editors' Choice: Satellite Operations Facility & Administrative Offices | Montclair Lofts

ADVERTISEMENT