atelier bow wow: izu book cafe

‘izu book cafe’ by atelier bow wow, shizuoka, japanimage © shinkenchiku sha

the recently completed ‘izu book cafe’ in shizuoka by japanese practice atelier bow wow is located alongside a street in a wooded green area. the curved L-shaped reinforced concrete shear wall shell adopts a sectional zig-zagging form, painted white. natural wood planks and beams make up the roof construction. the linear organization of spaces contains a series of double doors that connect to an exterior patio with offset square pavers and several large trees, with the street hidden along the front side of the structure where only smaller windows exist. several types of seating are scattered throughout the rooms providing a range of intimate and social environments for the user, all within a casual home-like atmosphere. at the other extreme of the construct is a small residence for the owners of the cafe.

a walkthrough of the structurevideo © shinkenchiku sha

surrounded by many trees and green spaceimage © shinkenchiku sha

the structure creates an underpass connecting to the courtyardimage © shinkenchiku sha

courtyard of offset square paversimage © atelier bow wow

an entranceimage © shinkenchiku sha

interior book area with several tables and chairsimage © shinkenchiku sha

elevated section with bookshelvesimage © shinkenchiku sha

street side exteriorimage © atelier bow wow

project info:

location: ito, shizuoka, japanbuilt area: 126.87 sqmfloor area: 131.82 sqmstructure: wood, reinforced concrete