KENGO KUMA, Yusuhara Marche

Yusuhara, a small town in Japan located on a route travelled in the 19th century by Sakamoto Ryoma, a warrior who contributed to the important political reforms underway throughout Japan. The "Chad Do", a building on the road where travellers could stop to refresh themselves, dine and talk, provides the inspiration for a new complex designed by architect Kengo Kuma.

The Yusuhara Marche is a 15-room hotel with a covered marketplace for sale of local products in its large entrance hall.
The materials used, bales of hay covering the main façade and a structure made of untreated cedar logs, are explicit references to Japanese building traditions and the building?s natural surroundings.

The building is a compact volume, with a main façade which is not continuous but made up of horizontal strips alternating bales of hay with windows. The roof juts out, supported on tree-like pillars, to protect this delicate wall from the weather, and a base made almost entirely of glass provides extra light for the interior of the ground floor.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Design: Kengo Kuma & Associates
Location: 1196-1 Yusuhara, Yusihar-Cho, Takaoka-gun, Koch, Japan
Illustrations: Takumi Ota Photography - courtesy of Kengo Kuma & Associates

www.kkaa.co.jp
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