We often seem to collectively overestimate our capabilities as individuals and underestimate the things we achieve in our collective spirit. Architecture and urban design have been plagued by individuals promoting idealist notions that lack context and nuance. Without considering the users as stakeholders, these ideas have sometimes caused more harm than good. As an antithesis to the top-down planning approach, Jane Jacobs, the renowned American-Canadian writer-urbanist who famously wrote The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) pioneered the concept of placemaking—the philosophy that protagonises community-based approaches in urban design. In the book, she said, "Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” Usually associated with urban planning, placemaking can and has been implemented using standalone architectural projects that deliver more than their assigned functions and revitalise the public realm. Designed to be a new tourist landmark in the Komono town of the Mie Prefecture in Japan, Komonokaen by Tatsuya Kawamoto + Associates is a multiutility store—consisting of a florist, a plant shop and a cafe—that appears to attempt placemaking by obfuscating peripheries in every facet.

Komonokaen is spread across two sites fragmented by a road. What would typically be a parameter for segregating the functional requirements into two parts became an opportunity for an innovative brief. “We wanted to create a relationship that transcended site boundaries, where the two sites across the road become one landscape and the road is treated as if it were within the site,” says the Japanese studio in their press statement. Located in a tourist area often frequented by people from other prefectures, the architects wanted to build a space where everyone felt free to come. The U-shaped building was composed in a manner that the sites no longer felt disjointed through the road, but the road perceptibly became a part of the site itself. Thus, the impression of a continuous garden—56 metres in length—was created, including the road and the space under the eaves. The boundaries between the built environment and the landscape are further blurred with the plants taking centre stage within the retail store design.

The project echoes liminality in its relationship between the site and the context. The facade facing the site is made out of glass and the interior design offers visual access to the space, inviting people indoors. The design also helps maximise the perceived spatial volume of the interior space, with the integrated nature of the functions and the absence of partition walls. The roof, however, becomes an instrument for maintaining the experience of being indoors by creating the impression of an elongated alcove. The ceiling of Komonokaen evokes an innate warmth through its timber features and expresses a conspicuous structural sophistication, exhibiting elements of traditional Japanese architecture. The ribbon windows run through the length of the structure, soaking the indoors with diffused sunlight. With the extended eaves cantilevered at a height of 2.7 metres, an intermediate space is formed which is intended to become a hangout pocket for people to relax. The use of wood, plaster and stone shapes a natural context for the plants on display.

The structural design of the project sits in line with the requirement of cost efficiency and an intention to engage local craftsmanship. Tatsuya Kawamoto, principal designer of the eponymous firm told STIR, “We did not design everything. During the construction process, local craftsmen were brought in to exchange ideas and adjust the design details. It was because we felt it was important to respect the wishes of the local craftsmen.” To create spatial continuity, 8.5-metre-long beams were required, but the general unavailability of large cross-sectional lumber and the unfeasible cost of preparing 74 of them led the architects to tread an alternate route. Ergo, a beam stacking method was used to create the 8.5-metre-long beam onsite by combining three timber elements. “We developed a solution to the construction problem that local craftsmen hadn’t encountered before we proceeded with the construction,” Kawamoto continued. Alongside being efficient from the standpoint of timber usage, the construction also holds the significance of being built using local materials and native craftsmanship, reinforcing a commitment to sustainability - which has been cited by the firm as the client’s intent to build a new landmark space for the town.

The commitment to collaborate with local craftsmen extended into the other aspects of the project. Covered with 20,000 pieces of natural stone over six months, the roof was crafted by a single craftsman. The rough stones that dot the interiors and the landscape as installations were found pieces collected over two years. The entrance door, made out of roughly hewn pieces of old wood, was installed on the spot. It was not just the design and the execution of Komonokaen that made it what it is, but also the process and the collaborative effort spanning five years. The effort to build a local landmark brought novelty to the project through the painstaking process of working with local materials and craftsmen - a seeming nod to gently nurturing a plant as it grows.

Project Details

Name: Komonokaen
Location: Mie, Japan
Architect: Tatsuya Kawamoto + Associates
Landscape: NISHIMURAKOGEI
Area: 499 sqm
Year of Completion: 2023