Hall A,
Kamaishi Civic Hall TETTO

Rebuilding the Civic Hall damaged by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, is the birthplace of Japan's modern steel industry. In 2012, the Kamaishi Future Town Project was drawn up to restore the town, which was severely damaged by the tsunami of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, to its former glory.

The project set out to build public housing and schools for disaster recovery to create a vibrant recovery that would make people want to return and visit the city. The sixth part of the project saw the successful reconstruction of the previously damaged civic hall.

The new Kamaishi Civic Hall TETTO and the revitalization of the city

The former Kamaishi Civic Cultural Hall began opened in 1978 with the first performance by the Kamaishi Symphony No. 9 Choir. For 33 years, the hall was enjoyed by the townsfolk. But after March 11, 2011, it was forced to be demolished due to tsunami damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The newly built Kamaishi Civic Hall TETTO is a comprehensive support center for civic culture that features a range of programs related to culture, art, and revitalization, to support the welfare of residents and advance the city's culture. The hall is often just referred to as TETTO. The name is a combination of two meanings; iron and steel capital "tetsuto" or "tetto," as Kamaishi has deep roots in iron and steel, and the Italian word "tetto," meaning roof.

On the same site as the Kamaishi Information Exchange Center, which has meeting rooms, a public studio, and multipurpose shared spaces, TETTO is freely open to the public. A large glass roof covers the plaza between TETTO and the Kamaishi Information Exchange Center. The plaza serves not only as a through route for those shopping at nearby stores and shopping arcades but also as a place for residents to sit down and relax.

The introduction of retractable seating—offering diversity in uses

TETTO has two different-sized halls, Hall A and Hall B.

The seats used in Hall A, which is a theater, are simple, yet full of ingenuity to create a comfortable seating experience. The three-dimensionally curved backrest conforms to the body and firmly supports the entire back. The hardness of the urethane foam used for the seats has been adjusted to provide comfort when sitting down and when seated. Furthermore, a specially shaped spring, engineered to distribute body pressure, is built in to maintain comfort even after long periods of seating. The armrests are flat and neatly shaped to accommodate all people.

Another feature of this hall is that the stage is easily visible from all seats. Seats are compactly spaced with a seat pitch of 900 mm, and more than half of the seating area is designed with a large slope so that the stage will feel closer even to those in the back. Balcony seats, which are located close to the stage but often face sideways, tend to force the audience to twist their body to watch the performance. However, TETTO has unique balcony seats that face toward the stage. This allows audiences to maintain a natural posture while watching the performance.

The seats feature six different types of upholstery, ranging from black to gray, that are arranged in a striped pattern. The wood-based interior gives the hall a luxurious yet relaxed feel.

Additionally, the seats on the first floor of the hall are retractable. The platforms are comprised of retractable seats and wagon seats that have been outfitted with theater seats. This allows the space to be both a fully-fledged hall and an open, flat space.

When the retractable seats and wagon seats are stored to the front of the hall, a flat floor is created. The sliding wall at the rear of the hall can also be opened to create one continuous space from the foyer to Hall A. Additionally, by opening the sliding wall that divides the foyer from Hall B and the plaza behind it, an even bigger space made up of Hall A, the foyer, Hall B, and the plaza, can be created. TETTO is equipped with a multipurpose hall useful for a variety of community events, from concerts as an auditorium to events on the flat floor. In December 2017, six years and nine months after the earthquake, TETTO's new history began in spectacular fashion with the resounding Kamaishi's Symphony No. 9 Choir that has continued uninterruptedly since the disaster.

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