geneto: AZB apartment

azb apartment by geneto
all photos by takumi ota courtesy geneto


japanese architects geneto have sent in images of their latest project 'AZB' apartment
in tokyo.

for this renovation project in a rental apartment block, the architects had many limitations.
enclosing only 45m2 floor space and being 40 years old, the structure did not allow
us much scope to alter the layout. we were also restricted by the fact that the entire
north façade is glass. additionally given the layout of the services, drastic alteration
of the bathroom was not possible. these constraints provided us with our point
of departure.

the apartment consists only of one bedroom and a multi-use space. the space is
enclosed by sliding panels that shift into place to conceal everday objects.

while considering the design of the panels, the architects looked at a traditional
japanese architectural application called 'fusuma'.

'fusuma' is the art of decorating room dividing panels with scenes of nature to create
the impression that one is living outdoors enveloped in nature. we abstracted this concept
and applied it to the dividing panels. the composition of lines draws inspiration from
the silhouette of the surrounding mountains and from the city skyline - which has become
our new nature.

the carved lines are handles and crevices for coat hangers which would otherwise protrude
from the panels and compromise the simplicity of the space.  this use of the fusuma creates
a balance between the disparity of function and emotional impact.






panels which depict mountain scenery

 
















detail of cityscape panels