ADS-B 2019 Sano Studio, Shingo Masuda

Sano City Challenge

-finding and defining pubic-

The city of Sano is as many smaller cities in Japan suffering from decreasing inhabitant numbers and the demographic change. Today’s city fabric is marked by an increasing amount of ‘akiya’ (=abandoned house) and the lack of public spaces and programs. The challenge is to reanimate and envisioning a future of technological, social, and aesthetic healing. We will participate one role for this mission and realistically engage with the city and the people. This is an actual on going project in Sano city by a company named KANA.There are three sites to start with.

1.Around CITY GENERATOR ‘DATE HOUSE’
The ‘Date House’ is key and starting point of the Sano project. Date house had been left akiya for many years. Date house, the base for Sano’s urban reanimation use to be a small hospital. By applying the idea of an ‘organic process’ in terms of working methods, we firstly established and inhabited parts of the building to be used as a local workstation and meeting point, both for the team but also for locals.
Being primarily based here, KANA develops urban strategies for Sano City while sketching and designing on the transformation of the building itself. There are few akiyas and also few that are still being used but don’t have inheritor to live there longer or to maintain.

2.Market street beside the train station
Back in the days, market street use to be full with stores and bars. But now the street is mainly akiyas.

3.Rethinking IMONO CUPOLA and the surrounding
Imono is a Sano rooted metalwork art. It was for large scale objects such as the gong of shrines. A specific architecture typology was developed. With the increasing demand and demographic changes in Sano, this tradition is endangered to die out, leaving its architectural traces behind.