Retro Japan: Gifu civic hall’s angularly sliced, conical structure stands out

GIFU — With a conical structure that looks as if its upper part has been cut off at an angle, the civic center in this central Japan city is an eye-catching building in the government district where the city hall and courthouse are located.

The Gifu Civic Auditorium’s design features the truncated cone-shaped main hall covered with tiles of various colors, flanked by rectangular structures on two sides in an “L” shape when seen from above. The reinforced concrete building with four floors above ground and one basement level was designed by architect Junzo Sakakura (1901-1969) and completed in 1967.

The east and north wings have a structure with reinforced pillars on the first floors that make the second floors appear to float, incorporating gentle undulations and curves in their straight lines.

The main hall’s lobby is an atrium, and the blue ceiling, with pipes assembled three-dimensionally, evokes an image of the sky. The makeup tables in the dressing room of the main hall are uniquely arranged along the curve of the conical structure.

The spiral staircase connecting the basement to the second floor looks as if a space was cut out of the ceiling. Sakakura’s architectural aesthetics can be felt throughout, including the beautifully curved railing.

The city renovated the main hall’s ceiling in 2022 to 2023 to allow the facility to continue being used.

(Japanese original by Koji Hyodo, Nagoya Photo and Video Department)

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The Japanese version of this article was originally published on June 5, 2022.

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