“Modern, Oval, Harmonious…”

The almost complete auditorium and car park

The auditorium interior to be complete by March 

Are some of the words Yasuaki Hidaka, OIST Section Leader of the Campus Building Section, uses to describe the new OIST auditorium. The bit-by-bit scaffolding removal has begun to unveil the almost finished 500-seater auditorium. The building was designed by one of Japan’s largest architectural companies, Nikken Sekkei, in conjunction with the Okinawan architectural firm Kuniken. It is set to be ready to host events starting this April.   

The outer surface of the building is complete, the interior is rapidly evolving with lighting and electricity being fitted before the interior décor arrives. OIST Vice President for Buildings and Facility Management, John Dickison, says, "By March, the entire auditorium will be finished. The electrical cables, sound and lighting equipment and the translator’s booth are currently being installed with seats and carpeting to then be fitted. Outside, a garden and restoration of the pond in front of the building will be landscaped." Dickison adds that the modern auditorium will have Wi-Fi throughout the hall and each seat is fitted with its own power outlets, simultaneous bilingual interpretation points, and large fold-out tables for laptops and papers.

One intriguing feature to look forward to is the large white screen at the front of the auditorium that can be raised between lectures or other events, revealing a rich backdrop of hilly vegetation and the OIST campus.

In addition, adjacent to the auditorium is a parking structure with a 320 vehicle capacity. The car park, like many OIST buildings, is constructed to blend into the natural landscape, with its simple steel frame painted dark brown and fitted with special mesh that will support vegetation and creepers planted to climb up the walls, gradually providing natural green cover for the building and improved shelter for cars.

OIST’s Vice President for Communications and Public Relations, Neil Calder, says, "The new auditorium will give OIST the opportunity to both host major science conferences and provide Okinawa with a world class venue for a wide range of cultural events."