© Naoomi Kurozumi
- Architects: Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop
- Location: Saga, Saga Prefecture, Japan
- Architect In Charge: Kentaro Yamazaki
- Area: 308.58 sqm
- Project Year: 2014
- Photographs: Naoomi Kurozumi
- Book Direction: BACH / Yoshitaka Haba
- Structural Design: ASD / Ryuji Tabata, Takayuki Tabata
- Facility Design: EOS plus / Kazuhiro Endo
- Landscape: Takio Inada
- Graphic Design: musubime / Takehiro Kawase
- Floor Area: 308.58 sqm
© Naoomi Kurozumi
From the architect. We were approached to design a mental health clinic in Saga City specializing in the treatment of patients with dementia. As in other towns and regions, Saga’s aging population has created a greater need for healthcare for the elderly. Ordinarily, healthcare facilities are planned and constructed on the advice of medical professionals with the sole consideration of creating a space for efficient and safe treatment of patients.
© Naoomi Kurozumi
Plan
© Naoomi Kurozumi
In this clinic, however, a special “Learning” common space was created intended for patients living with dementia and their families.
This “Learning” space is not meant to directly treat the illness but rather to provide visitors with a starting point for facing the condition of dementia.
© Naoomi Kurozumi
In addition to an outdoor garden designed to recreate the local scenery of rice fields and mountains using local flora, a 30 meter bookshelf was constructed containing pictorial books intended not so much to be “read” but rather to be “seen” and impart an impression on the reader.
© Naoomi Kurozumi
By creating a common space where patients, staff and families can interact, we seek to connect people through “Learning.”
© Naoomi Kurozumi
Sig Nordal 