tadao ando: kamigata rakugo storyteller’s association hall, osaka

‘kamigata rakugo storyteller’s association hall’ by tadao ando, osaka, japanimage © tadao ando

in april of 2012 japanese architect tadao ando completed the kamigata rakugo, or storyteller’s association hall in osaka, japan completelyfree of charge. the pure geometric concrete structure features simple triangular cuts in the orthogonal shell, creating an entryway and skylightsilluminating the interior naturally. the building contains rehearsal rooms and a gallery dedicated to the ancient tradition of storytelling in addition to event space for the upcoming hanjo tenma tenjin plum festival. a slender slit window in the front facade represents the kamigatasymbol of the old scripture, situating the project in its context. the design borrows heavily from ando’s earlier work for the calve gallery.

street side entrance through a triangular cutimage © tadao ando

triangular skylightimage © tadao ando

(left) skylight(right) thin slit windowimage © tadao ando

front facadeimage © ken lee

entranceimage © tadao ando

entry stairsimage © ken lee

parking at the back of the structureimage © tadao ando

approachimage © tadao ando

project info:

completion date: april 2012construction: makoto constructionsite area: 129.12 m2height: 12.56 mfloor area: 263.54 m2