be fun design: cycling house

‘cycling house’ by be-fun design in sumida, tokyo, japan all images courtesy be-fun design image © masaya yoshimura

japanese architects be-fun design has completed ‘cycling house’, an apartment building in the downtown area of sumida, tokyo, japan. situated on a 70 m2 flagpole-shaped plot along the sumida river bank, the design features an alley-like entrance that creates a private entranceway for the inhabitants.

street view image © masaya yoshimura

referencing the urban infrastructure of the region, the curvilinear passageway is an extension of the city’s alleys which draws the approach to the centre of the two-storey building. a short elevation is visible from the street which bends in on itself to generate a 2 meter-wide chasm between itself and an adjacent structure. by utilizing rounded out corners, the exterior surface is visually extended in a continuous sweep.

views of alleyway entrance images © masaya yoshimura

image © masaya yoshimura

accommodating eight independent units with separate entrances, the layout of the interior fans out from the central entry point. the design takes advantage of every square footage available, creating narrow but multi-level apartments within. while the building’s volume and overall height allows for two-storeys, partial floor slabs and loft platforms placed at varying levels result in small, separated areas and nooks. the design balances out the tight layout with generous vertical voids, visually extending the sense of space through a singular white finish.

entrance of a unit image © masaya yoshimura

stairs and ladders connecting levels images © masaya yoshimura

kitchen image © masaya yoshimura

stairs images © masaya yoshimura

image © masaya yoshimura

images © masaya yoshimura

the entrance passageway at night image © masaya yoshimura

3D model

rendered street view

section

section

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level +1

west elevation

south elevation

project info:

site area: 220.9 m2 building surface: 146.17 m2 total floor surface: 292.35 m2 structure: wood