We designed a banquet hall in the center of a busy city (Nagoya-shi) covered with a large roof fostering a warm and communal atmosphere.
© Kawasumi Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office
We didn’t want a building like a closed box, so we placed the entire structure under a sloped roof to express the space like a well-preserved forest.
© Kawasumi Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office
By attaching long pieces of cedar and larch, we added a rhythmic variation to the ceiling and the wall. The space was further enlivened by the passing of light through the ceiling like komorebi, or light filtering down through the trees in a forest.
Project Info:
Architects: Kengo Kuma and Associates
Location: Nagoya, Japan
Area: 2,585 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Kawasumi Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office
Project Name: Miraie Lext House
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial