Photo/Illutration An artist’s rendering shows the Yamagata Citizens’ Hall exterior designed in the image of a huge tree. (Provided by Yamagata city)

YAMAGATA--An artist’s conception of the new Yamagata Citizens’ Hall has generated a buzz online because it looks like an elaborate treehouse from a futuristic anime movie.

The drawing was released on June 7 by a group of 17 companies headed by Ichimura Koumuten Ltd. that won preferential negotiating rights to rebuild and relocate the facility.

The current Yamagata Citizens’ Hall in the Kasumicho district is now 50 years old and has fallen behind the times.

The Yamagata city government announced plans in 2020 to move the event hall to a site in the Nanukamachi district, where the Yamagata Prefectural Hall used to be located.

The relocated hall is scheduled to open in 2029.

According to Ichimura Koumuten, the new building is designed in the image of a single large tree.

The drawing shows the envisioned hall covered in wooden materials, with passageways visible from the outside. Box-shaped spaces and plants on the rooftop represent branches and leaves.

The screening committee praised the “clear architectural concept found in the symbolic outside appearance,” along with features to encourage people to explore the central urban zone.

It will contribute to the “realization of a townscape that motivates citizens to walk about,” the committee said.

“The design was determined in the hope of bringing in people and creating a lively atmosphere,” an Ichimura Koumuten official said.

The exterior appearance was developed by Akihisa Hirata, an architecture professor at Kyoto University. The architect has also worked on Art Museum & Library, Ota, Gunma Prefecture, and other projects.

The drawing sparked many admiring comments on social media, such as “stylish,” “dreamy” and “looking like something out of a Ghibli movie.”

But others voiced concerns about whether the design would fit into the surrounding environment.

Yamagata city will cover the costs of the new hall, but the private sector is expected to be responsible for constructing, operating and maintaining the renovated facility.

Expenses for design and construction, coupled with costs for management and maintenance through 2044, are estimated at 17.14 billion yen ($107.2 million).

Two groups of companies submitted bids for the city project.

The municipality is expected to sign a contract with the Ichimura Koumuten-led consortium in September, after the city assembly gives its approval.

Yamagata city noted the proposed design is subject to change when the building’s specifications are worked out.

“The extremely novel design must be faced with a range of opinions,” Yamagata Mayor Takahiro Sato said. “We will be brushing it up while listening to citizens’ views, too.”

The new citizens’ center is expected to feature a 1,200-seat hall alongside a smaller venue for 300 to 400 people.

The facility will also contain a film library that will preserve and exhibit titles featured in the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival.

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