SANAA - Shogin Tact Tsuruoka

Tsuruoka Cultural Hall is a multi-purpose space that serves as a centre for cultural and artistic activities in the region. The surrounding area is characterized by abundant nature and is located in a neighbourhood of the city filled with historic buildings, universities and galleries. A new building was needed to replace the existing centre and allow an expansion of civic endeavours.

This is a 'hall for the community' where citizens become participants, observers and actors. We proposed a large space wrapped by a corridor, echoing traditional Japanese Saya- do construction. The corridor is open to the public and dissolves the distinction between 'front' or 'back-ofhouse' spaces, yet when a professional performance takes place, partitions above and below the stage can create private areas as required. By keeping the depth of the large central hall as small as possible, we created a sense of intimacy between the audience and performer. The hall is designed in the vineyard style (with the seating surrounding the stage), one where sound echoes through the entire hall and there is a direct path between all seats and the stage.