Text description provided by the architects. The Ibaraki City Cultural and Childcare Complex Onikuru is a public complex with multiple functions, including a theatre, library, childcare support, civic center, and planetarium. The site is right in front of Ibaraki City Hall. The majority of the exterior is unfinished ‘as-struck’ concrete, with an emphasis on slabs and pillars, giving an impression of the ‘Dom-Ino’ system. The facade does not make a strong statement, and if you came here without knowing anything about it, you might think it was a branch building of the city hall.
However, once you step inside, you will be pleasantly surprised. There is a large circular atrium in the middle, making the entire seven floors almost one space. The escalators over the atrium do not run in parallel but cross each other at different angles. The impression is that of a stacked Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, with an absorbing ascent. The atrium is named the ‘Vertical path.’
Key to the functionality of the building is the fact that the library is distributed over every floor. While the main library floors are located on the fifth and sixth floors, the books related to each floor are placed near the ‘Vertical path’: children’s books on the second floor, art books on the third floor, space books on the seventh floor, and so on. “The functions are not divided between the floors but are mixed together, and many things happen every day in many different places. And you can meet all kinds of people…” It is operated with the aim of creating such a facility.
The nickname Onikuru (meaning “Goblins are coming”) was chosen through public competition as proposed by a six-year-old. It was named after Ibaraki Doji, a goblin character known in legends in various places in Ibaraki City, meaning “a place where even scary goblins want to come and enjoy themselves.” That is exactly the kind of architecture it is.
The Ibaraki City Cultural and Childcare Complex Onikuru won the Grand Prize in the “2025 Japan Architecture Award—Architecture Awards for Everyone—,” selected based on public votes. The Nomination Committee’s Top Selection is also awarded to the same architecture that received the highest evaluation during the selection process of the shortlisted works. “Japan Architecture Award—Architecture Awards for Everyone—” is an architectural award selected by a nomination committee, consisting of approx. 30 professionals committed to promoting architecture to the general public and popular vote.
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Cite: “The Ibaraki City Cultural and Childcare Complex Onikuru / Toyo Ito & Associates + Takenaka Corporation” 19 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed .
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