30th Anniversary of Meikei Gakuen / Agora Hall

Tsukuba-shi Ibaraki, Japan

Photo © Daisuke Oki

Architects: Hiroaki Iwasa Architects Workshop

Location: Tsukuba-shi Ibaraki, Japan
Year: 2017
Team: Naniwa Chiba Acoustic Inc

Meikei Gakuen High School is located at the southern end of Tsukuba Science City, and was established in 1979 with the idea of developing human resources who can play an active role in the world by gathering students from Japan and abroad.

This building was drafted on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of its founding and was realized with the approval of the designated school of the IB (International Baccalaureate) program by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
The architecture has a clear structure, and the first floor is a group of small classrooms and an entrance lounge that are variably partitioned according to various educational programs. On the second floor, there is a foyer that doubles as an exhibition gallery, and an "Agora Hall" with about 300 seats equipped with retractable bleachers for lectures and concerts.

The interior and exterior are characterized by the climate of Tsukuba and the traditional colors of Japan derived from the four seasons. It was named after Agora, where the Greek sages interacted with each other.