COMMUNITY AFFAIR
01 Mar 2017
A community garden in the hills of Japan encourages locals to connect with the natural landscape and provides a place for community engagement that supports creativity and self-sufficiency.
Situated in the mountain valley of the Yamanashi prefecture in Japan, the Vegi-garden Studio by Tokyo-based Maeshima Architects serves as a community garden, storage space for harvested greens and multi-use workshop for the local community. The structure’s large roof overhangs on the southern façade, creating a space that links the garden, the main residence, and the locals.
The most important layer to Maeshima Architect‘s project is its openness to the community. By doing so, a deeper relationship can be established between the natural landscape and the people.
To encourage this relationship, the building itself is composed of a number of columns and beams structured in a very open way to provide clear visuals and accessibility. These structural supports are even covered with polycarbonate sheets that offer a faintly lighter colour tone to the building at night, creating a Japanese lantern effect. The wire mesh fence of the inner wall also improves the storage functionality, providing plenty of hanging space for tools.