Kibi Kogen N Square / Kengo Kuma & Associates
Architects: Kengo Kuma & Associates
Area: 585 m²
Year: 2024
Photographs: Kawasumi-Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office
Construction: UG Giken
A regional exchange and creative facility centering on coworking and a café in Kibichuo, a town on the plateau in the center of Okayama Prefecture. A local company, Systems Nakashima, took the initiative to develop the project.
CLT panels, of which Okayama is the largest producer in Japan, were used throughout the structure and interior.
The CLT panels, 2.2m wide, 35m long, and 21cm thick, are stacked at varying angles across the site, with a height difference of approximately 4m. The panels' angular misalignment creates various spaces and openings in between.
The open space, which differs from the closed and repetitive impression of conventional CLT structures, represents the spirit of the facility's theme of openness and collaboration within the local community, including the participation of local Okayama University in the co-working space. Through these spaces, a crossover of activities that transcend generations and industry-academia boundaries is expected.