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The police station is always a dark area where many lawbreakers are held. It is, of course, far from the word ‘friendly.’ However, Meguro Architecture Laboratory has changed that.
Fukuyama Higashi Police Station Ekimae KOBAN, situated in the middle of the road and surrounded by high-rise office buildings and hotels, is one of the friendliest police stations we’ve ever seen.
Here is what the architects stated about their project in various aspects.
Design Concept
“In this project, we had incorporated 3 original thinking. First, ‘friendly police box’ was originally proposed as a new design concept for the police box which had never existed before. In general perception, in Japan, police boxes are generally stationed by police and inaccessible to the public. In order to provide friendly space and atmosphere for relaxation, stone benches were placed around the entrance of the building as a street furniture. This can make the new image of this police box is friendlier and more accessible. Additionally, it will be a place where pedestrians can feel, walk and use safely 24 hours a day.”
“Second, the design showed a hybrid of the local image. The shape of the building was designed to symbolize ‘Tomo no ura’ (Fukuyama city’s a traditional lighthouse) which is a historical cultural property of the city. Furthermore, the use of titanium zinc steel panels on external walls of the police box also represented the material of Fukuyama Castle because this castle is only a steel-clad castle in Japan. These above incorporated the 3 new ideas which did not exist before in the design of police box and will represent a new type of the police box in the future.
“Third, as Fukuyama was a city of steel industry, titanium zinc alloy panels was selected as the main material for building’s structure and exterior walls to express city characteristic. For interior walls, Cedar woods from local woods was chosen. Moreover, stone which for making benches was also quarried in this area. Therefore, this project contributed to local production to revitalize local industry.”
Site Conditions
“Site condition is one of planning challenges. First, a plaza in front of the building was designed to link to new zebra crossing where pedestrians can feel safe when walking in the night. Second, security issue is also important. Therefore, windows at office area were set to higher level that police officers can see outside but pedestrians cannot see inside the building.”
Structure
“The structure of the police box was steel frame, and the exterior walls were cladded by titanium zinc alloy panels. The reason why titanium zinc alloy panels were chosen for this project because it is non-ferrous metals which highly corrosion and rust resistant. Therefore, is was suitable for highly corrosive environments like Fukuyama city. Moreover, Fukuyama city was known for steel industry, so using this material can express the character of the city. For the interior, Cedar woods with in Hiroshima Prefecture were used. Thanks to color characteristic of Cedar woods, it gave gradient shades of wall naturally which was a special character of this police box.”
Visiting a police station might not be the kind of activity we usually include in our travel schedule, but after learning about the Fukuyama Higashi Police Station Ekimae KOBAN, we feel that the next time we visit Japan, this place should definitely be part of our sightseeing plan!
Project Name: Fukuyama higashi police station Ekimae KOBAN
Architect: Meguro Architecture Laboratory
Area : 108.67 sq.m.
Completion Year: 2023
Location: ฺFukuyama City, Hiroshoma Prefecture, Japan
Photo: Koichi Torimura
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ทางอีเมล ที่จะส่งตรงถึงคุณทุกเดือน ลงทะเบียนได้ที่ด้านล่างนี้เลย!