K Clinic, Nabari Mie, Japan

Architecton's new dermatology clinic with a skin that is more than just cosmetic
K Clinic is built in a relatively new small town in the Mie prefecture near to Nara and Osaka. The town has been developed since the 1960's by a railroad company for the people who commute to work in these two cities. The surroundings used to be a small hill and the new site has differing levels which follow the undulation of the landscape.

The clinic is located along the main street of the town and made of a steel-tube structure. The cantilever of the upper floating part is 17m long due to the“monocoque” structure that is composed of steel panel and steel deck plate. The shape of the building basically reflects the linearity and slope of the street and is intended to reproduce the missing profile of the land. The lower part contains a clinic and the upper part houses the doctor's study. They are connected by the "neck" linking the two levels into one continuous volume.

Though the skylight of the clinic waiting room and the opening on the floor of the study patio, people can feel the atmospheres mutually. The study is directed towards mountains at a distance which have been recognised as a sacred place since ancient times. The two modes of the building are “anchoring” and “taking off”. The architects' intentions are to both provide a useful place for people in the local community through a deep-rooted architecture, and to cast visions and dreams towards a new world via the active architectural image of the building.source: www.worldarchitecturenews.com
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