Hayato Komatsu Architects

Redefining the customary layout of a roadside city – This project involves the construction of a LC (Lifestyle Culture Market), a complex facility with office and commercial functions of over 2000 m2, along a major road not far from the center of Higashi-Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Although the area surrounding the site is still rural, it has become a roadside city, and the construction of the LC is expected to stimulate the flow of people to the area. Since a large-scale building, which does not exist in the surrounding area, would have a considerable impact on the cityscape, one of the themes of the project was how to interact with the community without giving priority to commercial activities. The trend in roadside cities is to place large signs along the street, with ample parking space and buildings behind the signs. The placement of the green space along the street could serve as a role model for future streetscape development. The green space can be used to hold various outdoor events, become a town park, and bring people's liveliness to the streetscape. We believe that a series of such spaces along the roadside will create an attraction not found in other roadside cities.

Significance of Building with Conventional Wood Construction Method
Since the client of LC's office function is a company that comprehensively handles the design and construction of custom-built housing, we thought it would be desirable for this project to build the building in-house, which would lead to branding and pride in the building. Therefore, we decided to use conventional wooden construction methods rather than the latest technologies such as CLT construction methods, because we wanted the client to construct a large-scale building by themselves, using construction methods that can be built by craftsmen who build houses. In other words, the plan was to construct a three-story special building consisting of an office, exhibition space, and retail store using conventional wooden construction methods, and to partially reveal the structure as a wooden expression. This was an unprecedented attempt for a special building, except for a school, for which legal requirements could be relaxed, and it was extremely difficult to realize.
First of all, in order for a special building over 2,000 m2 to be made of wood and to have a part of the structure as an actual structure, it must be classified as "other buildings," which means that it must be divided into 1,000 m2 or less by a freestanding firewall (one-hour fireproof structure). To meet this requirement, we divided the L-shaped plan surrounding the green space into three buildings, with the central building as Building A, Building B on the west side, and Building C on the south side. Furthermore, the site is surrounded by a beautiful mountain range, so the roof slopes of Building B and Building C were determined to match the lines of the mountain range. The result is a large-scale building with elements of a residential building, a form suitable for a company building that deals with the living environment. The slope of this large double-shingle roof was set to take advantage of the extension of the maximum height limit to 16 meters in the promotion of wood use item that came into effect in 2019.

At the time of the LC's ridgepole raising, a large number of craftsmen working on the house gathered, and the sight of them working with the desire to create a large-scale wooden structure by themselves was different from the site where the latest technology was utilized; it was more difficult and, above all, more powerful. I was once again impressed by the skill of the craftsmen, and I hope that the company building, which will house a furniture manufacturer, a housing showroom, a garden store, and a gallery, will bring about a variety of activities in the area, revitalize the entire town, and create a building that will be loved by the local residents and visitors to this town. We hope that the new building will be a favorite of local residents and visitors to the area.