Photography:Photo Studio SHIN

The "Regional Livelihood Support Center _ Hikari" was designed to provide support for the disabled in the Takatsuki-shi area, and to serve as a place of social interaction. Utilizing the gradient of the site, the south side of the building has four levels while the north side has one. The volume of the building is subdued in order to minimize effects on the locale and the environment. In addition, the flat, zigzag configuration generates maximum space for rooms in a limited site while also facilitating natural lighting and ventilation, and creates an interesting non-monotonous inner space. For the exterior, the building was given the same red roofing as the buildings of the St John's Social Welfare Corporation already standing on the project site, so that it too would stand as a familiar symbol of the area. The facility makes full use of the gradient of the site to allow direct barrier-free access to all floors, and the safe design allows persons with disabilities to evacuate easily in times of disaster. A unit-care type system is employed and all rooms are single occupancy in order to provide a homely and attentive level of care, and the facility can accommodate various types of disability. Themes have been adopted according to each unit and function, while different interior designs and lighting are used to allow users to easily recognize their surroundings and create a varied interior that does not feel like a facility.