https://www.architecturalrecord.com/rss/2697-akihisa-hirata-architecture-office en-us A ramping structure in Japan provides a gathering space for a waning downtown.

]]> http://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/13223 Mon, 05 Feb 2018 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/13223-ota-museum-library-by-akihisa-hirata-architecture-office Five building-like boxes of varying heights comprise the new structure, which resembles a giant mound. The stark white boxes are topped by terraces and green roofs. Photo © Daici Ano The clover-shaped building, wrapped by a curving path, is adjacent to Ota’s train station. Photo © Daici Ano Ramps inside and outside the building, including in the café and event spaces, provide the main circulation. Photo © Daici Ano Visitors ascend an impressive staircase at a main entrance. Photo © Daici Ano There are upward of 15 different levels within the ramping structure, offering a dynamic feel that encourages visitors to walk through the building as they would through a city. Photo © Daici Ano There are upward of 15 different levels within the ramping structure, offering a dynamic feel that encourages visitors to walk through the building as they would through a city. Photo © Daici Ano Library and gallery spaces are spread throughout the building, including this quiet spot for reading. Photo © Daici Ano Image courtesy Akihisa Hirata Architecture Image courtesy Akihisa Hirata Architecture Image courtesy Akihisa Hirata Architecture Image courtesy Akihisa Hirata Architecture 1312-akihisa-hirata-architecture-office.asp Mon, 16 Dec 2013 12:00:00 -0500 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/6392-akihisa-hirata-architecture-office An unlikely pairing of avant-garde architecture and agricultural machinery, Masuya is a showroom for tractors and snow blowers located in rural Niigata Prefecture. Completed in 2005, the concrete buil Akihisa Hirata Architecture OfficeTokyoAn unlikely pairing of avant-garde architecture and agricultural machinery, Masuya is a showroom for tractors and snow blowers located in rural Niigata Prefecture. Completed in 2005, the concrete building was awarded to Hirata via an online design competition. Hirata’s winning idea was to divide the ground floor into a 16-foot grid. He then divided the square bays diagonally with triangular panels that simultaneously separate and connect adjacent display and sales areas. The smaller second floor holds an employee break room. An unlikely pairing of avant-garde architecture and agricultural machinery, Masuya is a showroom for tractors and snow blowers located in rural Niigata Prefecture. Completed in 2005, the concrete buil Akihisa Hirata Architecture OfficeMasuyaTokyoAn unlikely pairing of avant-garde architecture and agricultural machinery, Masuya is a showroom for tractors and snow blowers located in rural Niigata Prefecture. Completed in 2005, the concrete building was awarded to Hirata via an online design competition. Hirata’s winning idea was to divide the ground floor into a 16-foot grid. He then divided the square bays diagonally with triangular panels that simultaneously separate and connect adjacent display and sales areas. The smaller second floor holds an employee break room.Photo © Nacása & Partners An unlikely pairing of avant-garde architecture and agricultural machinery, Masuya is a showroom for tractors and snow blowers located in rural Niigata Prefecture. Completed in 2005, the concrete buil Akihisa Hirata Architecture OfficeMasuyaTokyoAn unlikely pairing of avant-garde architecture and agricultural machinery, Masuya is a showroom for tractors and snow blowers located in rural Niigata Prefecture. Completed in 2005, the concrete building was awarded to Hirata via an online design competition. Hirata’s winning idea was to divide the ground floor into a 16-foot grid. He then divided the square bays diagonally with triangular panels that simultaneously separate and connect adjacent display and sales areas. The smaller second floor holds an employee break room.Photo © Nacása & Partners Completed in 2006, Sarugaku is a shopping complex located in Tokyo’s fashionable Daikanyama neighborhood. Influenced by the area’s charming streets and small boutiques, Hirata created a me Akihisa Hirata Architecture OfficeSarugakuTokyoCompleted in 2006, Sarugaku is a shopping complex located in Tokyo’s fashionable Daikanyama neighborhood. Influenced by the area’s charming streets and small boutiques, Hirata created a meandering pedestrian walk of his own and lined it with two-story buildings (plus basements) for commercial tenants. Full-height windows allow the various vendors to flaunt their wares and stairs enable customers to browse. Potted trees and ground cover soften the angular white architecture with a touch of greenery.Photo © Toshiyuki Yano This Tokyo home, completed in 2011 for a couple with two children, doesn’t just contain stairs, essentially, it is stairs. To maximize a tiny oblong site, Hirata placed three wood columns along Akihisa Hirata Architecture OfficeCoilTokyoThis Tokyo home, completed in 2011 for a couple with two children, doesn’t just contain stairs, essentially, it is stairs. To maximize a tiny oblong site, Hirata placed three wood columns along its centerline and used them to anchor 34 stepped platforms serving as vertical-circulation and functional areas at the same time. The ascent starts at the entrance, where a few steps lead to the bathroom in one direction while large treads in the other form the library, followed by the living and sleeping areas. Topping off the three-story sequence is the kitchen-and-dinning area, opening onto a small terrace.Photo © Jiucgu Torimura This Tokyo home, completed in 2011 for a couple with two children, doesn’t just contain stairs, essentially, it is stairs. To maximize a tiny oblong site, Hirata placed three wood columns along Akihisa Hirata Architecture OfficeCoilTokyoThis Tokyo home, completed in 2011 for a couple with two children, doesn’t just contain stairs, essentially, it is stairs. To maximize a tiny oblong site, Hirata placed three wood columns along its centerline and used them to anchor 34 stepped platforms serving as vertical-circulation and functional areas at the same time. The ascent starts at the entrance, where a few steps lead to the bathroom in one direction while large treads in the other form the library, followed by the living and sleeping areas. Topping off the three-story sequence is the kitchen-and-dinning area, opening onto a small terrace.Photo © Jiucgu Torimura Celebrating the connection between river and ocean, Foam Form was Hirata’s 2011 competition entry for a combined marine exhibition hall and pop music center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Keen to span th Akihisa Hirata Architecture OfficeFoam FormTokyoCelebrating the connection between river and ocean, Foam Form was Hirata’s 2011 competition entry for a combined marine exhibition hall and pop music center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Keen to span the 410-foot-wide waterway with a light hand, the architect created an airy column-free structure inspired by soap bubbles but made of steel. While bridging the river, it incorporates a mixture of enclosed spaces and open places where people can enjoy the view. Working closely with nearby shipbuilders, Hirata developed a construction system comprised of 98-by-131-foot units that could be sent from the factory by boat for easy on-site assembly.Image courtesy Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office Celebrating the connection between river and ocean, Foam Form was Hirata’s 2011 competition entry for a combined marine exhibition hall and pop music center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Keen to span th Akihisa Hirata Architecture OfficeFoam FormTokyoCelebrating the connection between river and ocean, Foam Form was Hirata’s 2011 competition entry for a combined marine exhibition hall and pop music center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Keen to span the 410-foot-wide waterway with a light hand, the architect created an airy column-free structure inspired by soap bubbles but made of steel. While bridging the river, it incorporates a mixture of enclosed spaces and open places where people can enjoy the view. Working closely with nearby shipbuilders, Hirata developed a construction system comprised of 98-by-131-foot units that could be sent from the factory by boat for easy on-site assembly.Image courtesy Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office Blending permanent housing mostly for the elderly and a kindergarten under a cluster of pitched roofs, the Kamaishi project takes its cues from the local landscape hard hit by the tsunami in 2011. Bec Akihisa Hirata Architecture OfficeKamaishiTokyoBlending permanent housing mostly for the elderly and a kindergarten under a cluster of pitched roofs, the Kamaishi project takes its cues from the local landscape hard hit by the tsunami in 2011. Because the site that once held an elementary and a junior high school prior to the disaster, was completely flat, Hirata began by creating a multilevel three-dimensional pedestrian street that echoes the hills and engenders a communal atmosphere by incorporating informal spots for people to meet as it winds its way to 40 housing units. Completion is expected in 2014.Image courtesy Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office Blending permanent housing mostly for the elderly and a kindergarten under a cluster of pitched roofs, the Kamaishi project takes its cues from the local landscape hard hit by the tsunami in 2011. Bec Akihisa Hirata Architecture OfficeKamaishiTokyoBlending permanent housing mostly for the elderly and a kindergarten under a cluster of pitched roofs, the Kamaishi project takes its cues from the local landscape hard hit by the tsunami in 2011. Because the site that once held an elementary and a junior high school prior to the disaster, was completely flat, Hirata began by creating a multilevel three-dimensional pedestrian street that echoes the hills and engenders a communal atmosphere by incorporating informal spots for people to meet as it winds its way to 40 housing units. Completion is expected in 2014.Image courtesy Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office Though located in Tokyo, this 12-unit apartment building was inspired by the craggy topography of mountains. Completed in 2010, it is composed of walls and roof that blend seamlessly together to form Akihisa Hirata Architecture OfficeAlpTokyoThough located in Tokyo, this 12-unit apartment building was inspired by the craggy topography of mountains. Completed in 2010, it is composed of walls and roof that blend seamlessly together to form a single concrete monolith whose irregular profile contrasts dramatically with the boxy form of Tokyo’s typical housing stock. Like many comparable properties, the individual apartments are accessed via external stairs and walkways. But, once you’re inside, the building’s angular geometry defines both plan and section.Photo © Toshiyuki Yano