“GREENable” is a coined word that combines “GREEN”, which means nature and greenery, and “sustainable,” which means sustainability, and introduces actions and things related to coexistence with nature that are sophisticated and easy to use for everyone. It's a "community brand".

The project is set in Maniwa City, Okayama and  is a base to transmit education and inspiration of sustainable initiatives that cities can model themselves after. 

The concept was designed by Kengo Kuma, winner of the Pritzker Prize and designer of the National Stadium where the Olympics were held.  The building is a relocation of a wooden structure once used in Tokyo,  representing a decarbonized and sustainable architecture as well as an exchange between the city and the countryside.  Moved essentially in a manner which a concrete building cannot.  Most notable are, the "Wind Leaves”, which were designed to maximize the beauty of the wood grain by using 360 CLT panels of orthogonal laminated timber produced in Maniwa City.  The building is designed to allow air to flow through the gaps between the panels, so that visitors can feel nature even inside the building.  Beyond, the series of buildings symbolize the creation and concept of upcycling. 

Its nickname “Wind Leaves” was also selected from a global public contest and its name expresses the a wish that "the environmental destruction and climate change that have already progressed can be restored to the earth's original rich nature (GREEN) if we all work together to address them with the right approach to regional development. 

Maniwa City is a place with a view towards a circulating economy that makes use of resources that had no value until now, such as scraps of lumber and residue from forests that once were waste from power plants.  Today, the facility proudly works towards zero waste in the pursuit  of this “Future City” concept, working together with significant local partners and visitors can tour the unique strucutres along with taking a visit to the Hiruzen Museum that displays materials such as contemporary art,  Kengo Kuma’s architectural models and information on sustainable living through a cycling center that showcases a modicum of experiences that fuse together natural and cultural resources into useful, sustainable projects with impact. 

For more information visit https://greenable-hiruzen.co.jp/ for facility details and for regional travel information, please visit https://setouchitrip.com/

PHOTO CREDIT - ©︎ photo: Nobutada OMOTE | SANDWICH

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