Designer：NOSIGNER

Location：Japan; | ;View Map

Project Year：2017

Category：Community Centres;Hospitals

To bring back patients' right to dignity.

Percentage of Japanese families participating in policy selections for end-of-life patients' dignity (International Comparative Research Report on Ideal Detection and Death)

Patients who are forced to stay hospitalized often suffer from loneliness and anxiety in hospitals. It can be difficult to spend time while remaining hopeful and easily forget their dignity as a human in such places. Meanwhile, nurses, who are often exposed to harsh working environments, do not have much time to relax and take a break. Japan is missing a situation where both hospitalized patients and nurses can comfortably spend time together.​​​​​

An architecture that is authentic to local trees.

​​​​​We designed SACHI HOUSE, a medical welfare facility, resembling the feeling of being at "home". This was to try and bring the right of dignity back to the patients' life, encouraging hospitalized patients, their families, and friends to come together. At the same time, this environment is also designed for nurses to be able to relax. To protect the well-being of both hospitalized patients and nurses, we created this architecture like a two-family house. In addition, by constructing a space according to the site of a triangle and using local thinned wood, we confront the forestry loss issues that currently affect the whole Japan, as a thoroughly eco-friendly and authentic architecture, built as if it is situated in a forest.

We utilized the part of the wood that would have usually been thrown away as the outer layer of the building. We left the bark as it is, using the inner material of the same wood as squared bars for the interior, devoting the design to keep its natural form as much as possible.​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​

Various design rules are set for the Maggie's Center—a center offering free support developed especially for people with cancer as well as their friends and family, formed by Maggie Keswick Jencks since 1996. Many famous architects have been involved, such as Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid. When designing SACHI HOUSE, we also followed all of the guidelines and rules under the supervision of Maggie's Center.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A community center involving local residents.

SACHI HOUSE opened as a welfare facility attached to Kawamura Hospital in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture. It is starting to function not only as a place for patients, family members, and nurses but is now also as a place for local residents to gather together. Events such as yoga classes and tea ceremonies are held frequently. Generally opening on Wednesdays every week, expanding every day as a community center.​​​​​​​

Client: Kawamura Hospital

Designers: NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa)

Architects: anotherAPARTMENT (Tsuyoshi Kobayashi) ​​​​​​

Photographer: Kunihiko Sato

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