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.
▲ 竹之門是Mabi防災公園重建過程中的一個擴展項目
Bamboo Gate is the newest addition to the Mabi Reconstruction Disaster Prevention Park
▲ 該項目由隈研吾事務所設計
completed by Kengo Kuma and Associates
▲ 竹之門中設計了低矮了圍護結構
with a low-lying silhouette
▲ 設計中竹葉的有機形態和自然景觀相互融合呼應
the bamboo’s organic forms echo the engulfing natural landscape
▲ 該項目的造型自然地形成一個建筑主入口
the architecture creates a gate-like portal
▲ 建筑中設計有社區服務空間和儲藏空間
a community facility and a storage warehouse
▲ 該設計方案由隈研吾事務所與當地居民共同構思出來
conceived in collaboration with citizens of the city
▲ 竹子是該地區的代表性材料,在建筑的立面和內部裝飾中均使用了竹子,設計師的思路是以當地材料建造具有當地特色的建筑
bamboo — a signature material of the town — clads elevations and interiors to ground the design in its local vernacular
▲ 該地區在2018年7月份有一場暴雨,聚集的雨水將該城鎮淹沒了大半,該建筑就是在那場暴雨中坍塌的堤壩上重新建造的
the structure rises from the levee that fell during the July 2018 torrential rains that flooded much of the town
▲ 該項目設計有一個大型的起伏屋頂,將兩個圓柱形體塊自然的連接在一起
two circular volumes bridged by a sculptural, undulating roof