Substrate Factory Ayase is a minimalist architecture project located in Kanagawa, Japan, designed by Aki Hamada Architects. The project is an extension to an existing circuit board factory located near Atsugi base. The first floor area, which had originally been planned as a workshop, was changed to be used as a showroom and a multi-purpose space for local community, and therefore versatility and openness were required. Furthermore, since future reconstruction of the currently used factory building was under consideration, we tried to design an extension allowing for multiple uses, while providing adjustable spaces and programs in accordance with the active involvement of users. This building is constructed of a frame structure model designed to accommodate various conditions and requirements, as well as fitting and hardware elements allowing fine tuning by improving their adjustability and renewability. Those spaces in the building are characterized by the composition juxtaposing those elements without losing their original characteristics.

The site is categorized as semi-industrial zone, where factories and residential houses coexist. A factory is a closed program in a city environment, mostly constructed of steel frame structure covered by exterior walls made of industrial materials; a house also has tendency to be closed in order to maintaining its privacy. As a result, those two programs have little chance to get mingled with each other—in a positive sense. The house adjacent to the site has a daily life in which family members sundry the laundry or walk a dog. Then, together with the client, we thought about how a factory should be standing next to such everyday scenery of the neighborhood. As a result, we came up with an image of an “open wooden-structure factory” that mediates the relationship between a factory and a house. We expect that this place will be accepted by the local community as a place where people gather, while changing day by day with the active involvement of various people.

Photography by Kenta Hasegawa