hidetaka shirako architect & associates + OUVI: yakumo apartment

'yakumo apartment' by hidetaka shirako architect & associates + OUVI
all images courtesy hidetaka shirako architect & associates
image © hiroshi ueda


japanese practice hidetaka shirako architect & associates has completed 'yakumo apartment',
a residential project on a corner plot in tokyo, japan. a collaborative effort with architecture firm
OUVI, the design consists of four free-standing volumes that are arranged in an offset fashion
to integrate pockets of outdoor space into the layout.



image © hiroshi ueda


the study of the site recognized multiple external conditions that the apartment complex
had to work with: a street lined with cherry blossom trees to the north, an adjacent fire department,
and an industrial waste depot to the south. the architects aimed to create separation from these
overlapping factors by providing a design that facilitated inward-views rather than towards
the immediate site.



image © hiroshi ueda


conceived as a collection of small houses, the project offers four apartment units and
individual outdoor gardens. the void spaces give off the impression of having been
excised out of a larger collective volume, being finished in a lighter paneling to
the dark metallic skin of the residences. offering two levels of living space, the interior
utilizes a simple, open-concept layout. large windows face out to the gardens,
establishing an active dialogue with the outdoors. though autonomous structures,
the individual apartments remain linked through verandas.



view of outdoor void space
image © hiroshi ueda



interior view of apartment unit
image © hiroshi ueda



(left) second level
(right) next to outdoor terrace
images © hiroshi ueda



image © hiroshi ueda



night view
image © hiroshi ueda



site plan
image © hidetaka shirako architect & associates



section
image © hidetaka shirako architect & associates