The original Ishigaki City Government Building was located in an area prone to tsunami flooding. To address this risk, the city chose to relocate the building to a higher elevation. This move not only enhances safety but also revitalizes Ishigaki Island’s landscape by creating a government building surrounded by lush greenery and featuring layered traditional red tile plaster roofs.
The design draws inspiration from the local architectural style of Ishigaki Island, where the intersections of rows of houses form the foundational layout of the village.
The architect organized the various functional spaces of the city hall along east-west and north-south axes, creating a community street that is open and inviting. This street extends beyond the city hall, seamlessly connecting the new building with the surrounding green landscape.
Due to the high vulnerability of gypsum to damage, the traditional roof tiles covered with gypsum boards are gradually disappearing in Okinawa. For the Ishigaki City Government Building, the architects innovatively used white glass to outline each tile, recreating the traditional red and white tile pattern.
This approach combines modern technology with traditional aesthetics, bringing back cherished memories and preserving the island’s cultural landscape.
Project Information
Architect: Kengo Kuma Architecture Urban Design Firm
Area: 13,921 m²
Project Year: 2021
Photographers: Kawasumi Kobayashi Kenji Photography Office, Makoto Yoshida
Design Team: Kenji Miyahara, Naoki Okayama, Huanna Matsuo, Kenji Uesugi, Yumeng Ye, Junlin Chen, and Yoshiaki An
Construction Companies: Dacheng Construction Co., Ltd., Rice Construction, Kuroshima Construction
Structural Engineering: Jiangshiri Structural Design Firm
Facility Design: Morimura Design
Quantity Measurement: Two Leaf Accumulation Calculation
External Design: PLACEMEDIA
Landscape Architects: Collaborative
Location: Ishigaki Island, Japan
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