Minamisanriku Sun Sun Shopping Village

Japan Miyagi Motoyoshi District, Minami-sanriku Town
© SS Co., Ltd. Horikoshi Keishin
This wood-frame shopping street, a symbol of post-disaster reconstruction, runs through the center of a new community created by elevating the ground level in Minamisanriku-cho, which was devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake. We aimed to regain the warm, human feel of the former shopping district with large protruding eaves of plastic corrugated board, which has a light and friendly look. The central axis of the shopping village points toward the sea, and our hope is that people will be able to sense the sea at all times while walking around the community, and that the history of a community inextricably bonded to the sea will be preserved for posterity.
Architectural design: Kengo Kuma and Associates
Structural design: Oak Structural Design Office
Facility design: P.T. Morimura and Associates