Plaza Of Kanagawa Institute Of Technology / Junya Ishigami + Associates

Architects: junya ishigami + associates
Area: 4110 m²
Year: 2020
Photographs: junya ishigami + associates
Category: Installations & Structures, Other Facilities
Architect in Charge: Junya Ishigami
Project Manager: Masayuki Asami
Project Architect: Taeko Abe
Architect: Shuma Tei, Motosuke Mandai, Sachie Morita, Toru Yamada, Federico Lepre
Structure: Jun Sato Structural Engineers Company Limited
Structural Planning: Konishi Structural Engineers
MEP Equipment Consultant: Takasago Thermal Engineering Company Limited
Electrical Consultant: Kinden Corporation
City: Atsugi
Country: Japan

Plaza of Kanagawa Institute of Technology, designed by junya.ishigami+associates in Kanagawa, reimagined the campus landscape as a semi-outdoor environment centered on experiential versatility, completed in 2008. The project moved away from fixed functions, offering a space where users could explore time and presence through an ambiguous program. Responding to the rigid built surroundings, the design preserved part of the existing setting while transforming the rest to create a new spatial condition of “outside-ness.” A 2-meter site elevation was used to establish a new ground, over which a 90-meter curved iron roof floats, supported by four outer walls. The roof and concave floor mirror each other, forming an internal horizon. Fifty-nine roof openings filter natural light and rain, changing the atmosphere based on weather and time. Structurally, the project addressed thermal shifts and loads through 83 piles, 54 ground anchors, and compression ribs. The roof’s thin iron plate, measuring 12mm, hovers at a human scale between 2.2 and 2.8 meters. Water-permeable asphalt keeps the space dry and usable in wet conditions. Users are invited to sit directly on the sloped floor, merging body and environment into a unified landscape, offering a quiet architectural experience of curated natural presence.

Plaza of kanagawa institute of technology / junya ishigami + associates

While developing the outdoor plaza for the KAIT Workshop at the Kanagawa Institute of Technology, completed in the winter of 2008, Junya Ishigami + Associates focused on two primary characteristics: versatility and the semi-outdoor condition, examining how these concepts would influence the project’s design and development.

The versatility of the plaza was approached from an experiential rather than a practical perspective. Since the campus already featured multifunctional spaces but lacked areas dedicated to relaxation, the architects aimed to provide a unique environment that suggested a more ambiguous program. Rather than designing the space with a specific function in mind, the focus was placed on creating a setting that encouraged varied experiences and ways of spending time. As the architects described, “the process of passing time becomes the subject.”

The concept of a semi-outdoor space emerged as an intermediate design approach, responding to the challenges posed by the campus’s fixed and artificial built environment. The existing landscape, defined largely by school buildings, lacked natural variation. In response, the architect chose to preserve half of the current setting while transforming the other half through architectural elements. Since the design prioritized user experience, the intervention aimed to introduce a new sense of “outside-ness.” This effect was achieved through carefully considered architectural techniques that shaped the space into a composed, hybrid environment.

Landscape can be perceived in various ways, both physically and mentally. The environment of the plaza was intended to feel “delicate and without a sense of restraint from the existing buildings.” The designed landscape aimed to offer users a place to appreciate the scenery and spend extended periods gazing across the expansive planes of ground and sky, which converge at the end of the large curved surface and direct the view toward the limitless world beyond the horizon.

Based on the initial considerations of the site’s existing scenery and the approach it would require, the architects decided to build across the entire area. A 2-meter height difference between the campus ground level and the project plane was used to establish a new ground space that integrated with the natural terrain. The main structure was then designed as a floating iron plane, supported only by four perimeter walls and bending into a curved surface without any interior supports. The ground was shaped into a concave form to reflect the curvature of the ceiling. Both the ceiling and the ground surfaces bend and extend, eventually meeting to form a horizon line within the building.

The 59 openings in the ceiling produce a dynamic light-filtering effect that resembles sunlight passing through clouds on an overcast day. As a result, the atmosphere within the space shifts according to the time of day and weather conditions. On rainy days, the experience becomes especially striking as rain enters through the unglazed openings, forming vertical streams of water that introduce sound into the space. As the architects described, “thus the natural changes perceived by the body become the architectural scenery.”

The large-scale structure, spanning up to 90 meters, required detailed structural engineering considerations. One key factor addressed was the potential variation in ceiling height, which could reach up to 30 centimeters due to the thermal expansion and contraction of the iron plate. The foundation includes 83 piles and 54 ground anchors set into a massive concrete beam, accommodating a ground slope with a 5-meter height difference. The resulting form gives the structure an appearance similar to a rotating suspension bridge. Human scale was carefully considered, with ceiling heights ranging between approximately 2.2 and 2.8 meters, and the roof’s iron plate measuring 12 millimeters thick, aligning with the dimensions of surrounding furniture. Compression ribs were installed within 3 meters of the roof’s outer edge to relieve the tensile stress placed on the walls, which are 250 millimeters thick, consistent with standard construction practices.

In terms of material use, the ground surface is finished with water-permeable asphalt, which was treated with high-pressure cleaning to fully remove any oil before being painted. This treatment allows rainwater to be immediately absorbed as it flows through the plaza structure, ensuring that the space remains dry and comfortable for users who may choose to sit directly on the surface.

The plaza encourages a strong connection between people and the built environment. The design invites users to sit directly on the ground, reinforcing a direct relationship with the architecturally shaped space. The floor forms a gentle, hill-like slope, resembling a large bed, allowing the body to merge seamlessly with the surrounding environment. Together, the slope, shifting light, sound of raindrops, and the constructed horizon create a distinctive place within the campus. The space provides a form of raw natural comfort, shaped through intentionally curated experiences that express the architectural idea of “outside-ness.”