1979 - Club for retired senior citizens

The main idea that underlies a lot of the entries in this year’s competition is the cultural and social aspects of having to design for the elderly and those “in a state of emotional starvation brought on by the destruction of the traditional aspects of Japanese cities.

There is a clarity to the entries that received mentions in the way that they are presented; a very classical layout, with perspectives, plans, sections and site analyses.

The winning entry by Kem Hinton is said to “[preserve] the memory-filled environment of the old, nearly ruined courthouse and its tree…idea of inside-outside is reversed, and the tree becomes a center of an interior.” One of the judges felt that the designers have “too little knowledge of old people…[a club] should have something that only the elderly can understand and experience”.
There is a call for the designers to relate to the clients of the building in a deeper level, not just in a functional way.

There seems to be a trend that Judge Fumihiko Maki points out, and that is there are two main categories, where one is practical and suitable to their environments and another one that transcends practicality and attempts to use architecture to express the historic qualities inherent in the themes.

Palimpsest - Something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form.

The idea of keeping the essence of the old and creating a new dynamic space is what stood out in the winning entry for this year. It speaks to the viewer in both a social and philosophical way. The notion that the central courtyard houses a tree with an air of memory about it. The philosophical values speak of the visible traces of an earlier time but in the context of a new, changing world.

The inhabitation and programmatic aspect of this design is accommodating to the way that the social areas are not simply axially placed but centred around the symbol of memory which speaks to those who utilize the space. The materiality and exterior facades are inherent with classical form which is befitting to the scheme since it is trying to create a new space without imparting from the clients’ lifelong values, it does not try to create a totally new building but instead add on to an existing building.