claesson koivisto rune transforms 1920s bank building into hotel K5 in tokyo

K5 tokyo presents an original concept based on aimai — a japanese word roughly translating to vague, obscure or ambiguous, which in japan is often used in a positive, poetic sense.

shuhei senda February 27, 2020 3 min

swedish firm claesson koivisto rune has completed the renovation of a 1920s bank building in tokyo, transforming it into a hotel with 20 generously-sized rooms called hotel K5 by design hotels. inaugurated this month, the hotel presents a new original concept where a collective of guestrooms, restaurants, bars and social spaces are bound together by aimai — a japanese word roughly translating to vague, obscure or ambiguous, which in japan is often used in a positive, poetic sense.

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room K5 loft extra suite
©︎K5

located at a convenient junction between the commercial district of marunouchi and the up-and-coming eastern tokyo, the hotel K5 by claesson koivisto rune sits at a central location at the crux of movement in the city. the firm respected the original design features of the building by adding others to exalt them. for example, the original raw concrete flooring has been augmented with newer floor coverings honed from the same material, while the cedar wood and japanese traditional accents maintain a mood of authenticity and connectivity to the structure’s past.

claesson koivisto rune transforms 1920s bank building into hotel K5 in tokyo - 2
©︎K5

additionally, and also guided by aimai as a design concept, claesson koivisto rune implemented a palpable mood of amorphousness within a series of spaces where unclear boundaries lend themselves to versatile areas that have the capacity to change character throughout the day. this is best exemplified in public areas such as the reception, which doubles as a coffee shop that gently seeps into the wine bar and then the restaurant, thanks to a purposeful blueprint conceived with the intention for all spaces and functions to intermingle.

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room K5l oft extra suite
©︎K5

the lack of greenery found on site inspired the creation of a green oasis with the inclusion of a flower shop inside hotel K5. this addition supposes an oasis in the reception lounge that flows into the restaurant, corridors and guestrooms as a multitude of potted plants spread out. unusually, the hotel’s unique location has directly influenced the lighting and color scheme in some public spaces. with the rear of the hotel facing an arterial thoroughfare, claesson koivisto rune have utilized passing car lights as a feature, incorporating colored glass into all windows at the back of the hotel for a kaleidoscopic light show in the hotel’s corridors. similar bursts of color are also present in guestrooms, open spaces which are defined by a large central veiled column, cut from naturally dyed fabric in bold shades of indigo.

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corridor
©︎K5