The Nishi-arita town centre is a complex building of a town hall, a library and a communal lobby for the residents. The building is situated on the stepping site where was originality the traditional stepping rice field. We made a huge roof over the landscape to introduce the public open space underneath. The building set east-west direction creates efficient parking lot to the north and reorganised stepping garden to the south. Through the lift and slopes, the building also enhance the circulation of the surrounding public facilities situated on the different levels. To make the south side opening of the ground floor clear, we put the minimum columns supporting only the vertical load along the glass facade.
Main structural elements are concentrated around the 'cranes' which is characteristic objects covered with translucent glass cross. Four cranes are inserted in the building. They function not only as the structural elements, but also the light wells, the lighting objects, the staircases, and entrances from the parking.
Because of the ever changing municipal organisation, the building has to reply to many functional possibilities. The ground floor is basically open and the first floor is closed. Each floor has spaces with different ceiling heights. Various spaces articulated by such a simple space program and by the characteristic 'cranes' may facilitate the human activities, we believe.