Kanagawa University Minato Mirai Campus

The project is the first university campus to be built in the Minato Mirai 21 district. On the lower to middle levels, layers of outdoor terraces and staircases are placed to connect to the learning commons inside on each floor. On the upper levels, there are seminar spaces, which double as a staircase, and an open-stack library. Our design allows the entire architecture to become a place for learning which extends beyond the closed laboratories and classrooms. The building also houses facilities for industry-academia-government collaboration, lifelong learning and a hall. With no wall around the site’s perimeter, the building opens to the community, becoming an urban high-rise facility distinct from an office building.