Located in the northern residential area of Nagoya, Japan, this clinic serves a densely populated neighborhood. We extended large wooden eaves from the interior, acting like a tangent that connects the lively streets of the town. These expansive wooden panels guide patients inside, while the use of wood—a material symbolic of the town—creates a welcoming outdoor space where patients can feel secure.
Inside the clinic, patients experience the warmth of natural sunlight in the waiting area. The L-shaped open ceiling, aligned along the building’s tangent line, adds a sense of spacious comfort. Together, the large wooden eaves and the open ceiling blur the boundary between the clinic and the surrounding urban block, creating a welcoming intermediate space that functions both as architecture and as a comfortable zone for patients.
The L-shaped open ceiling visually and spatially connects the waiting area on the first floor with the rehabilitation room and clinic on the second floor. This design ensures that even patients waiting in the lobby can enjoy a calm, relaxed atmosphere. Extensive use of wood in touchable areas helps reduce tension, reinforcing an overarching sense of “warm transparency” throughout the building and its neighborhood.
To support the large eaves and L-shaped open ceiling, a steel structure with supporting columns was used. The spatial truss above the open ceiling plays a key structural role. Although Y-shaped steel columns are integrated between the wooden elements, these steel components are intentionally left visible to highlight their functional purpose.
The horizontal elements of the open ceiling are concealed by a spatial truss composed of half-sized H-shaped steel beams and flat steel bars. The sturdy roof surface and truss system support the massive eaves, effectively transmitting horizontal forces. At the entrance, handmade tiles add texture to the flooring, while concrete blocks and grass in the parking area create a park-like atmosphere.
Design Drawings
△ General Layout Plan
△ First Floor Plan
△ Second Floor Plan
△ South & East Elevations
△ North & West Elevations
△ Section Diagram
△ Section Diagram
Project Information
Project Type: Clinic
Location: Nagoya, Japan
Architect: TSC Architects
Area: 543 m²
Year: 2019
Photographer: Hiroshi Tanigawa
Suppliers: Jw-CAD, SHOWA FRONT, Tanita, VASE, Yodogawa Steel Works, Channel Original
Lead Architect: Yoshiaki Tanaka
Client: TAKENAKA Surgery Internal Medicine Pediatrics Clinic
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