Kentaro Imai Architectural office
KAIRYO-YU 
This is a renovation project of public bath-house called Sento in Japanese. The project site is located between Shibuya station and Ebisu station which is a very urbanized area. Our final purpose is to contribute to the reactivation of the Sento which have declined in the present age, so our challenge in this project was to show a new state of Sento with an urban function and a spatial image in a big city like Shibuya. The concept of this project was based on “cultural crossing” due to the location. To realize this concept, a practical plan and a spatial image were incorporated into the design. The idea of “cultural crossing” is used because a variety of events, workshops, and exhibitions can be held there, and both the exterior and interior walls have space to display artwork by new artists. These art-walls symbolize the cultural exchange which this space hopes to foster. Now the art-wall has became a hot spot for Instagram, and the combination of Sento, Shibuya, event space was well received to be fresh & exciting. KAIRYO-YU has gathered many people after the renovation and has became a hot topic as one of the stories of a reviving Sento. It will spark a new beginning for Sento by appealing to the younger generation. We believe the success of this project will bring a huge merit to the preservation of Japanese traditional culture and the healthy-beauty lifestyle of city dwellers in Japan.
