Civic Center Reimagined

  When Modernism was taking a revolutionary turn in Japan, architects hypothesized future cities to be regenerating machines not unlike biological organisms that grow over time. The polemic of integrating mechanical system and organicity was not only a test of Le Corbusier’s vision but also portended the symbiotic relationship between architecture and ecology defined as Arcology. 

"Open work" brought us back to the 1960s Japanese Metabolism Architectural theory and prototypes. Kisho Kurokawa’s Sakura Civic Center was a state-of-the-art building in prefectural Japan in both construction method and programmatic organization. Through the lens of contemporary cultural and infrastructural shifts, the building was given a new form to accommodate future growth. The middle portion was kept while the two cores on both sides were reconstructed to serve new underground and upper office space.