Maebashi National Government Building

The site is a concentration of government office facilities, in a district where historic buildings such as the Gunma Kaikan and Prefectural Showa Offices have been preserved and restored. On the south side, it faces an abundant avenue lined with zelkova trees, which extends from Maebashi Station to Gunma Prefectural Offices. Brick, the local material, and standing trees are incorporated as motifs, to carry on the history, culture, and nature of the town, and improve the environment and scenery of the surrounding area. The building height is reduced on the side facing the zelkova tree avenue, merging it with the verdant space, while the choice of load-bearing brick construction is for continuity with the local scenery. The highrise section is set back, to relieve any visual pressure on the street. A facade with a feeling of clarity on the south side provides unity with the open space of the zelkova avenue, creating an “open government office building” that brings charm and vitality to the town. Maebashi has an inland climate, so oppressive heat continues in the summer. Passing water through the bricks for transpiration from the surface provides a cooling effect that provides a cool spot to the pedestrian space (roughly 3°C cooler). The load-bearing brick scatters natural light, providing a “sun-dappled effect” in the interior. In the design process, we used BIM from the beginning in every field, and performed iterative validations of cost performance, with studies of floor-to-floor height setting and seismic damping structure. This BIM data was passed on to the construction stage, delivering a major effect in the aspect of quality as well.