Located in the southeast part of Iwate Prefecture, the town of Sumita is situated in a mountainous region, and approximately 90% of the town is covered with mountain forests. Sumita's goal is to "Build Japan's number one forest and forestry community."
Sumita's town hall was planned based on the following three concepts: 1. A people-friendly and well-liked town hall, 2. A town hall that is environmentally friendly and that plays a central role in disaster damage prevention, and 3. A town hall that communicates the distinctive character of Sumita. The ideas of town residents were adopted in the plan, and the resulting facility was built by town craftsmen using lumber produced in the town. In addition, the building makes use of energy produced in the town, and it uses office furniture made with town materials (desktops, etc.).