SOMA CITY HOME FOR ALL -

SOMA

Conceived as a large straw hat held aloft by trees, this building is an indoor play space for children between the ages of 0-4. 

These spaces are important due to the ongoing concerns about background radiation levels.  

The cross laminated timber columns help reduce the span of the timber roof making it lighter and have been designed to resemble trees. The roof is made up of 9 layers of timber slats. Each slat is continuous, the longest being 20m in length. The slats are laid over a formwork one layer at a time, with each successive layer rotated through 120 degrees.  

The project was made possible by donations from all over Japan and the generous in kind support by many construction material and equipment suppliers. All professional services for the project were provided pro-bono. 

Photo credits: Koichi Torimura.