‘+’ by yasuo imazu/ ninkipen!, kawasaki city, kanagawa, japanimage © hiroki kawata all images courtesy of yasuo imazu/ ninkipen!

 

 

 

upon removing the old 30-year-old interior veneers and ceiling panels in this apartment in kawasaki city, japanese practice ninkipen! (yasuo imazu) uncovered the hidden construction that was to be exposed. the predominant feature of this restoration is seen almost immediately: two large crossing concrete beams that span the entire distance of the flat. the architects saw this as an opportunity to respect the newly discovered elements and begin a new language that incorporates all of the original load bearing structure with the new interior pieces; the rough texture of the massive concrete spines opposes the smooth reflective nature of the prismatic volume.

ninkipen!: + interior image © hiroki kawata

ninkipen!: + dining area and kitchen image © hiroki kawata

ninkipen!: + kitchen image © hiroki kawata

ninkipen!: + living area image © hiroki kawata

ninkipen!: + living area image © hiroki kawata

ninkipen!: + living area from hallway image © hiroki kawata

ninkipen!: + main hallway from the living area image © hiroki kawata

ninkipen!: + hallway with longitudinal beam

ninkipen!: + transverse concrete beam

ninkipen!: + concrete crossbeam intersection image © hiroki kawata

ninkipen!: + conserved pipes

ninkipen!: + diagram highlighting key spatial elements

ninkipen!: + floor plan perspective

project info:

project name: + type: house location: kawasaki city, kanagawa, japan completion: 2012.4 construction: es co.,ltd size: 73.6m2 photography: hiroki kawata