Ebina City Arima Library & Community Center

Architect：MIKAMI Architects

Location：Japan, Kanagawa, 海老名市門沢橋１丁目２０−41; | ;View Map

Project Year：2021

Category：Community Centres;Libraries

This is a renovation of an about 30 years old facility that houses a library and a community center. The painstakingly designed interior of this post-modernist building is dazzling in the sunlight, but there is always a hint of gloom and heaviness in the air.

At the request of the employer, we transformed the building into a modern facility that combines the functions of a library and a community center. This is reflected in the creation of an open "library-lobby-community center" layout by removing the walls blocking the library area. At the same time, a connecting corridor was built on the second floor to naturally link the library and community center, creating a new connection between the two. This not only increases accessibility for patrons but also removes heaviness from the air.

There is a new lounge and children's area at the entrance, which encourages visitor interaction and communication. The children's area is called the 'children's tent' because of its small red hat-like canopy. A staircase was added to the center of the library to create a three-dimensional circulation structure. The heavily used study room space was expanded and all parts of the area are bright and airy.

Extending from the foyer to the south, the outdoor space is paved with a café-like wooden terrace for enjoying breezy afternoons.

The community center section also has various functions such as assembly rooms, meeting rooms, and multi-purpose rooms to meet the various usage needs of the residents.

On the exterior, only the exterior tiles and the waterproofing around the windows were renovated to maintain the original design as much as possible. On the inside, in addition to retaining the building's frame, the entire structural layout was fully remodeled, and the interior was completely new. This renovation aims to achieve maximum renewal within a limited budget.

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