This project for a small community centre, gallery, studio and artist’s residence is intended to foster cross-cultural exchange between Australia and Japan. It is located in Urada of the Niigata Prefecture. The design scheme is a collaboration between 3 architecture practices: Andrew Simpson Architects (Melbourne), Aida Atelier (Tokyo) and FMD Architects (Melbourne).

The project is designed to establish a “common ground” by responding to a set of cultural, climatic and programmatic requirements that are in constant flux. The building is Australian and Japanese; a place of work and a place of rest; a public institution and a private residence. The parti is based on a transition between a single horizontal and vertical spatial condition, however experiencing the building is much more cyclical and dynamic as one engages in a place that is between territories.