Kengo Kuma and Associates’ Bamboo Gate is the newest addition to the Mabi Reconstruction Disaster Prevention Park in Kurashiki City. In July 2018, the region in Japan was scarred by devastating torrential rains, with resulting flooding destroying small towns and rural pockets. In an effort of resilience and repair, the studio’s proposal presents a community facility and a storage warehouse to serve as a base for disaster prevention and interaction, conceived in collaboration with citizens of the city using local bamboo.
The structure rises from the levee that fell during the prior disaster as two circular volumes bridged by a sculptural, undulating roof. In its organic, low-lying silhouette, the architecture creates a gate-like portal embracing its natural context from all sides.
all images by Kawasumi-Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office
Principles of regeneration — cultural and architectural — lead the concept, supported by the national government to create a new disaster-prone public space for Mabi. Bamboo Gate’s structure thus intertwines local materials and community needs, with bamboo — a signature material of the town — cladding the elevation and interiors. With the design grounded in its local vernacular, Kengo Kuma and Associates has carved an expansive opening through the center of the structure to act as a visual conduit. This ‘gate’ aligns the axis of the city with the serene Oda River and its surrounding mountains, weaving urban life with the natural landscape.
In functionality, the Tokyo-based architects have devised a dual-purpose program, with one volume housing a community center and the other an emergency storage facility, linked by vast wooden beams that echo traditional Japanese architectural techniques while embracing contemporary structural innovation. These beams extend outward, creating deep eaves that facilitate ventilation and shelter visitors from both the glare of the sun and the rain’s onslaught — a practical nod to the unpredictable climate and a gesture of hospitality in the vastness of the park.
▲ 竹之门是Mabi防灾公园重建过程中的一个扩展项目
Bamboo Gate is the newest addition to the Mabi Reconstruction Disaster Prevention Park
▲ 该项目由隈研吾事务所设计
completed by Kengo Kuma and Associates
▲ 竹之门中设计了低矮了围护结构
with a low-lying silhouette
▲ 设计中竹叶的有机形态和自然景观相互融合呼应
the bamboo’s organic forms echo the engulfing natural landscape
▲ 该项目的造型自然地形成一个建筑主入口
the architecture creates a gate-like portal
▲ 建筑中设计有社区服务空间和储藏空间
a community facility and a storage warehouse
▲ 该设计方案由隈研吾事务所与当地居民共同构思出来
conceived in collaboration with citizens of the city
▲ 竹子是该地区的代表性材料,在建筑的立面和内部装饰中均使用了竹子,设计师的思路是以当地材料建造具有当地特色的建筑
bamboo — a signature material of the town — clads elevations and interiors to ground the design in its local vernacular
▲ 该地区在2018年7月份有一场暴雨,聚集的雨水将该城镇淹没了大半,该建筑就是在那场暴雨中坍塌的堤坝上重新建造的
the structure rises from the levee that fell during the July 2018 torrential rains that flooded much of the town
▲ 该项目设计有一个大型的起伏屋顶,将两个圆柱形体块自然的连接在一起
two circular volumes bridged by a sculptural, undulating roof