This was an entry in a competition for a multifunctional facility in a southern district of Osaka. This public facility for local residents combines municipal government offices, a district library, a concert hall, and a community center. There is also a public park on the site. Here I saw the architecture as an extension of the green area that is open to the public; that is, the building was to be a point of contact between visitors and the natural environment. The large volume was split into two thin parts, with a three-dimensional plaza created in between. People approach the building by way of the plaza. An urban axis–an extension of the street–intersects the plaza at right angles. A green area arranged on this axis leads to the park. The splitting of the building into two thin blocks generates a lively relationship to the plaza. This building, wrapped in a curtain wall that facilitates ventilation, makes possible an interior environment with minimal dependence on air conditioning and artificial lighting.
