Miyako Irahara School (みやこ伊良原学園)
Irahara, Miyako (Fukuoka Prefecture)
Sources checked October 2026
- Year
- 2016
- Architect
- Tadao Ando
- Type
- School (elementary and junior high)
- Access
- Working school; the exterior can be viewed freely, the interior is open only to schools and administrations, on request (town website, October 2026)
Tadao Ando designed this building to bring together the elementary and junior high schools of Irahara, the elementary school, founded in 1872, having had to move because of dam construction. This 2016 building is organised around a courtyard, with local timber on its interior and exterior walls.
History
Irahara elementary school, founded in 1872, had to move because of dam construction. The elementary school and the junior high school, until then separate, were then merged, and the design of the new building was entrusted to Tadao Ando. The school is called みやこ伊良原学園; the building dates from 2016.
Architecture
Ando designed a school organised around a courtyard, with local timber on its interior and exterior walls. This timber building stands apart from the exposed concrete for which the architect is known.
Visiting
The building is a working school. The town receives schools and administrations that apply in advance for visits of the interior; group tours run by travel agencies are refused, and photography inside is in principle forbidden. There is no particular restriction on the exterior, provided the pupils' image rights are respected.
Irahara, Miyako (Fukuoka Prefecture)
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Architecture nearby
