Pachinko is a Japanese arcade gaming machine which flourished since the 1920s, and the pachinko halls were established for such activity. However, this arcade game has gone out of fashion in recent decades, with dwindling profits forcing many gambling halls to close in Japan.
Bearing the notion to revive this dying traditional game, the NRC Architecture and Design Group designed a pachinko hall within Aqua Mid Tower Grand. This has caught the attention of the ASPDA committees and thus received a Bronze place in the Entertainment and Leisure category.
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- Photo Credit: NRC architecture & design
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- Photo Credit: NRC architecture & design
The tower is located in a Tokyo neighbourhood which has survived the causality of World War Two, with many of the traditional wooden buildings still remaining intact. Nonetheless, a few redevelopment in the area was made to meet the modern safety standards.
The Aqua Mid Tower Grand includes a residential area, a restaurant sector, and a pachinko hall. The idea of having an arcade hall in a communal residential space has intrigued many potential buyers. Hence, the designers created the area from the ground up to make the hall look more attractive.
The gaming furniture incorporates Bonsai plants and curvy wooden benches to bring nature’s beauty indoors, an organic design to allow patrons playing pachinko in comfort. Offering an abundance of pachinkos and pachislot machines, patrons could stay to try out different machines. This combination of traditional Japanese arts with retro gaming is a beacon of hope to revitalise the pachinko hall potential as the neighbourhood’s community centre.
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- Photo Credit: NRC architecture & design
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- Photo Credit: NRC architecture & design
“We are very pleased to be able to report this to the construction companies and clients who have greatly cooperated in this project,” NRC Architecture and Design Group expressed in their news column. “We will continue to make unremitting efforts in all projects in Japan and overseas, and we appreciate your continued cooperation.”
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- Photo Credit: NRC architecture & design
