Imabari City Public Hall
Imabari City Public Hall is one of three public buildings designed by Tange Kenzo (1913–2005) for the city of Imabari. Built in 1958 as a performance space and auditorium, Imabari City Public Hall stands across from Imabari City Hall. Both buildings were designed and built at the same time, with the space between them turned into a public plaza and parking lot.
An angular concrete battleship of a building, Imabari City Public Hall is an excellent example of Tange’s early work. Influenced by the Swiss modernist Le Corbusier (1887–1965), the use of plain, unadorned concrete is typical of Tange’s style. Unlike many of Tange’s other buildings, such as the Hiroshima Peace Center, neither the City Hall nor the Public Hall use pilotis (pillars) to support the structure. This is because Tange wanted visitors to have uninterrupted access from the ground floor. Instead, Imabari City Public Hall uses triangular-shaped supports on its walls, reminiscent of origami paper folds.
The pointed columns support a sweeping roof, creating a large concert hall. Inside, the triangle motif continues on the walls, and the sloping floor of the auditorium becomes the slanted concrete ceiling of the lobby. Tange was known for using plain materials to create beautiful designs, and his talents are on full display in Imabari City Public Hall. Glossy wood seats and bannisters blend with the polished concrete, but both give way to occasional shocks of scarlet on walls and curtains. Imabari City Public Hall seats roughly 1,000 people and was renovated in 2013. Despite that, it is clear that Tange’s influence in the building remains strong.
