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Nikken Sekkei complete new psychiatric facility in Shizuoka
Nikken Sekkei have aimed to create a friendly and warm-hearted living environment as a community-based mental hospital.
The new building is surrounded by mountains. Special tiles with filled joints were applied for the exterior walls and create a high contrast between the concrete and the gentle green, imaged from blue stones sourced locally from the Iyo area. The house-scale design of restrained height and finely segmented walls is adopted. The architects aimed at creating a simple building suitable to the moderate climate in the local area.
In the lobby of the outpatient wing, louvers made of Japanese cedar spread throughout the ceiling, and walls made of tiles continuing from the exterior not only give a hand-made feel but also symbolise the warm-hearted nature of the hospital.
In the ward designed for group care, one floor is divided into six units, and a daycare corner facing an inside court is incorporated into each unit to create living space of various scales. The inside court incorporated in each unit receives natural light, and allows for a pleasant breeze to enrich the ward.
Shafts provided in each unit allow wind to pass through, and achieve energy-saving ventilation using natural ventilator suitable to the environment, known locally as “Windy Town”. Cool tubes embedded in the ground provide a pre-cooling function. In utilising the elements in this way, the architects intended to create a human-friendly and nature-friendly building as a place of rehabilitation into society.
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