School as backbone of village

As one countermeasure for population depletion, a school with active community involvement was proposed in Sanagochi village. The site is along Sonose River, which flows between mountains on its north and south.

The concept of this proposal is to build with local materials, an architectural environment for learning that is one with the local mountains, forest and river. The building axes oriented to cardinal points enhancing movement of the Sun, architectural space brought forth by its shadows becoming one with the southern mountain and void of playground in between, creates a new landscape of light and shadow that conveys the passing of time over the year.

Around the playground is the food cultivation study zone, where local residents and students grow seasonal fruits, flowers and vegetables. The mountain slope, cultivated like a village-woodland, combined with the waterfront, offers an enjoyable observatory zone for understanding nature.

Potentials of the place thus utilized and opened to the local residents, an environment of lifelong learning would evolve, enlivened by communication across generations through sharing of experience and wisdom. And this will hopefully lead to communal solidarity and love for the region.

Regeneration of public housing, Kansai region

This proposal regenerates and reorients old public housing units, seen as unfit for the aging residents. A mixed age community within greenery, suiting present needs and lifestyle is proposed. Residents, reducing in number, continue to live in the community, with the support of a local care-system, while new residents from various classes bring vitality into the neighborhood.

With landscape before development as reference, green areas are introduced and vegetable gardening encouraged for lowering urban temperature and checking urban sprawl. Eventually, with self-sustaining local industry that sustains the natural environment, the district gets converted into a residential area of high market value, a sustainable redevelopment model for an originally decaying urban district.

Mixed housing with care network, Kobe

In several stages, old public housing blocks are rebuilt as low-rise housing for needs of a younger generation, while present aging residents continue to live in their units. Here, rather than subdivide into private lots, a mechanism to control the land as one whole and make residents common owners is proposed. Utilizing the panoramic view of the Akashi Channel in the Southeast, an enriching relationship between Man and the natural environment is envisioned.

Various facilities are linked into a community network made effective beyond local borders. A central facility that coordinates long-term medical and nursing care for elderly residents forms the core of the community. Irrespective of age and state of health, all residents can actively participate in community life in a mixed generation neighborhood with the support of a wide institutional network.

Adapting new needs into cherished lifestyle of old town

This is a PFI proposal for how the country as law executor and an enterprise earning profit from shares can cooperate to run a prison. Repentance for a crime through national authority combined with training for social rehabilitation through corporate undertaking has its advantage. A third party handling the basic policy framework and activities acts as a built-in check system to protect the rights of the inmates.

On a site with a level difference of 8.8m, originally prepared as 8 sectors for an industrial estate of 28 hectares to activate the local economy, male and female inmates are accommodated on either side of a central block meant for reception, supervision and educational facilities, training and labor. A central spine connects all the institutions and links people inside and outside the facility. The intention is to plan an appropriate place for inmates to become self-reliant and connect with the region outside.

Reconstruction plan to retain school in city

A public aided campus for special education plays a central role for lifelong visual training in everyday life for those with severe handicap and overlap of impairments. Rather than relocation in the suburb, a method for reconstruction on the present urban site was strongly desired by the present users. Especially since, taking advantage of the urban location, involvement with the community has long been cultivated through self-supporting activities. An attractive environment open to the community on the other hand, would offer security during disaster.

The proposed school environment is associated with the expansive landscape of Mt. Bizan by building with local natural materials, growing local fruit trees, flowers and vegetables and using renewable energy and water recycling systems. Feeling the seasons through the wind, sounds, smells, tastes and tactile senses would hopefully nurture a place for interaction between man and nature.

Housing along stream with freshwater crab

Little plain land was available in this fishing town close to the ocean with the mountains closing in. Housing is laid out along contours of a valley, with a mountain stream, its rich ecosystem and stone embankments as its axis. A new settlement in harmony with the landscape is proposed.

Wastewater from the housing is purified to nearly drinking water level by a high quality community septic tank. Shallow basins to contain storm water from the mountain runoff help control its flow downstream during typhoons.

Green arteries for Nishinari district, Osaka

This is part of a master plan proposing development of the Midosuji grand trunk road, remaining undeveloped within Nishinari district, Osaka. Intending to bring in people, a circular route for public transport reduces traffic and pedestrians enjoy a promenade under large trees.

Exposed soil and open paving joints allow rainwater to recharge ground water. Rainwater and treated wastewater (by a high quality septic tank) are circulated under the avenue of trees to support a biotope where insects and aquatic life can meet humans and birds. Various living beings come together in the heart of the neighborhood, conveying their interrelationship and at the same time helping create a balanced community that must overcome and move beyond hard compensatory measures for eliminating discrimination.