Matsuyama Architect and Associates

This is an eye clinic housed in a three-story, reinforced-concrete building close to Heisei Station in Minami Ward, Kumamoto City. We designed it as a building constructed of 6 horizontal slabs of two different styles placed alternately, made from cedarwood structure, concrete filling and a final layer of paint. By alternating the two different types of exterior material, we softened the impact it would have on the surrounding residential area and emphasized the horizontal plane at the same time. The first floor houses reception, the second floor is the surgery zone, and the 3rd floor is the staff zone – all are positioned with consideration of their function. The cantilever architecture creates shadows and also forms a driveway and eaves in the west while simultaneously creating an internal terrace and facility space. The land itself is surrounded on three sides by roads, so we tried our best to make the patients’ waiting room as generous as possible while also protecting their privacy in order to gently remove any worries the patients might have. The outpatient waiting room has a height of 7 meters and brought in the garden through big glass walls. This, the view of the sky through the concrete slabs, and other design aspects, connect the interior with the nature surrounding the space.