art and culture space under railway in yokohama, japan

art and culture space under railway in yokohama, japanimage still from video by JA+U

set up in the hollows under the keihin railway tracks located by the former red light district in the kogane-cho area of yokohama japan is a vibrant art and culture space, developed in an effort to reform the district as debuted in JA+U (Japan Architecture+Urbanism. government crackdowns have been implemented to transform kogane-cho’s  streets from an economically stagnant zone to establish its reputation as an art lover’s playground – with the city of yokohama and NPO koganecho area management centre leading the cultural metamorphosis.

five architects were invited to work with approximately 100 to 150 m2 (1,080 to 1,615 ft2) of land – resulting in an eclectic hub that intelligently redefines  the obsolete space beneath the elevated railway into a gallery, cafe, studio, and a hall for creators to occupy and present their artwork. the repackaging of koganecho’s image as an artsy, creative neighborhood is characterised by striking pitched roofs peeking from under the rattling railway, complemented by peaceful, intuitive rooms that coherently unfold as one moves through the gallery. the building and its idenity is fortified by the murmuring of the train overhead, pertinently interjecting the placidity throughout the course of the day.   

site-a gallery by jun yanagisawa / contemporariesimage still from video by JA+U

site-b cafe by akiko miya and shinpei miki / studio 2A image still from video by JA+U

passageway between site-b and site-cimage still from video by JA+U

 site-c studio by akiko takahashi and hiroshi takahashi/workstationimage still from video by JA+U

looking onto site-d – a meeting space by masao koizumi/koizumi atelierimage still from video by JA+U

the view down the once obsolete streetimage still from video by JA+U

video showing the narrative of the space video © JA+U