In the grand tradition of Japanese civic architecture – a genre that has seen masterworks by Kenzo Tange, Tadao Ando and Kisho Kurokawa, amongst others – the new Ofunato Civic Cultural Center and Library is a virtuoso display of eccentric concrete forms.
See more Ofunato Civic Cultural Center and Library
Designed by the Meguro-based studio Chiaki Arai Urban & Architecture Design, the new building sits astride the landscape like a grey crustacean, with concrete claws that thrust down into the ground. The hard-edged exterior is certainly striking, from the fluted fortress-like form of the fly tower above the main theatre space to the angled buttresses, but it's the interior that really impresses.
Arai has mimicked the distinctive coastline of the Pacific coast in Ofunato prefecture, using layer upon layer of contoured concrete to form inverted 'river valleys' that rise up above visitors' heads. The complex includes studios, galleries, a library, tea room and concert hall.
-
‘Reimagining the medical facility as a sanctuary of restoration’: welcome to Zoī Vendôme, ParisYoung Mexico-based architecture practice Sala Hars injects a healthy dose of drama into Zoī Vendôme, a minimalist health centre in Paris
-
Wallpaper* Smart Space Awards 2025 winners announcedDelve into the best of domestic tech, product design and transport solutions as we present the Wallpaper* Smart Space Awards 2025 winners
-
Embracing the colour brown, fashion’s most underrated hueSimon Chilvers pays ode to the colour brown, a surprising fashion staple: ‘Fall for the charms of brown and its appeal swells; its appearances multiply’
-
Campaigners propose reuse to save Kenzo Tange’s modernist ‘Ship Gymnasium’ in JapanThe Pritzker Prize-winning architect’s former Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium is at risk of demolition; we caught up with the campaigners who hope to save it
-
A new photo book explores the symbolic beauty of the Japanese garden‘Modern Japanese Gardens’ from Thames & Hudson traces the 20th-century evolution of these serene spaces, where every element has a purpose
-
The Monthly Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s favourite July housesFrom geometric Japanese cottages to restored modernist masterpieces, these are the best residential projects to have crossed the architecture desk this month
-
How an icon of Japanese Metabolist architecture took on a life of its own – even after its destructionWhen Kishō Kurokawa designed the modular Nakagin Capsule Tower more than 50 years ago, he imagined it boarding ships and travelling the world. Now it has, thanks to a new show at MoMA
-
Mayumi Miyawaki’s Fukumura Cottage puts this lesser-known Japanese modernist in the spotlightDiscover the little-known modernist architect through this private home in Japan’s Tochigi prefecture countryside
-
Aston Martin completes its first Tokyo townhouse, crafted by the brand’s design teamThis luxurious private house in Tokyo’s Omotesandō neighbourhood offers design and details shaped by Aston Martin, as well as features for the dedicated car collector
-
A Karuizawa house is a soothing, work-from-home retreat in JapanTakeshi Hirobe Architects play with scale and space, creating a tranquil residence in which to live and work
-
Naoshima New Museum of Art is a home for Asian art, and a lasting legacy, in Seto Inland SeaThe Naoshima New Museum of Art opens, marking a seminal addition to the Japanese island's renowned Benesse Art Site Naoshima; we explore Tadao Ando's design
