Nagaoka City Hall Aore

Japan Niigata Nagaoka
© Mitsumasa Fujitsuka
This city hall, intended to foster social interaction, is built around a central courtyard, primarily containing a semi-outdoor work space for farmers and a roofed open space (nakadoma) inspired by traditional earthen-floored interiors.
The nakadoma is encircled by an office building, a municipal assembly building, and an arena building. The glass-walled assembly building facing onto the open space, and the arena always open as a children's playground, make this city hall feel like part of residents' everyday lives, and it serves as a hub for interpersonal communication. There are stalls and food carts in the nakadoma at times, and it is crowded with residents and tourists throughout the year. A large quantity of locally produced wood, paper, and silk fabric was utilized to construct a friendly space to which the public feels connected.
With this social interaction-oriented city hall in the center of the city, there has been a resurgence in the number of people on Ote-dori Street in front of Nagaoka Station. Through this project, we were able to offer a solution to the hollowing-out of central shopping districts in provincial cities.
Architectural design: Kengo Kuma and Associates
Structural design: Ejiri Structural Engineers
Constructor: Taisei, Fukuda, Chuetsu, Ikeda JV