Hiraya Pavilion
Conceived as a small multifunctional pavilion and studio, the project began with a simple question: how can we create a sense of openness and generosity within a limited footprint while keeping costs low?
The site lies on a narrow, gently sloping plot where contrasting conditions converge: elevated highways, transmission towers, and busy roads define a human-made environment, while the Makomanai River, a cycling path, and the surrounding greenery reintroduce a sense of nature.
Within this setting, the client sought a small, multifunctional space that transcends conventional definitions. Thus surges Hiraya - a multipurpose pavilion, a place for gathering, conversation, and shared everyday life and dreams. Anticipating diverse users and fluid functions, we envisioned a structure capable of thriving in this world over time - a soft yet resilient form that nourishes architectural longevity while adapting flexibly to change.
The building consists of a single 4,550 mm square space and a minimal service core. Within this extremely compact footprint, we explored how openness and flexibility could coexist with the constraints of scale and cost.
The volume is set 720 mm into the ground to form a plinth, from which openings extend on all four sides. This low base encourages a variety of postures and activities such as walking, sitting, working, and eating, while drawing the surrounding greenery into the interior and providing a continuous horizontal flow.
At the heart of the space, a symbolic column rotated 45 degrees intersects with a diagonal beam that lifts a small loft floor above. This sectional composition connects the upper and lower areas through continuous voids on all four sides, expanding the vertical sense of openness.
Although a 4,550 mm span could easily be bridged with a single beam to achieve a column-free space, such a gesture would feel disproportionate here. Instead, the central column and diagonal beam act as the anchor, subtly articulating four distinct yet interrelated zones within the compact plan.
In this ambiguous environment, Hiraya forms a small, self-contained universe, one that embraces change, invites interpretation, and offers quiet freedom within a precise architectural frame.
