hidetaka shirako architect & associates + OUVI: yakumo apartment hidetaka shirako architect & associates + OUVI: yakumo apartment
sep 04, 2011

hidetaka shirako architect & associates + OUVI: yakumo apartment

‘yakumo apartment’ by hidetaka shirako architect & associates + OUVI all images courtesy hidetaka shirako architect & associates image © hiroshi ueda

 

 

 

japanese practice hidetaka shirako architect & associates has completed ‘yakumo apartment’, a residential project on a corner plot in tokyo, japan. a collaborative effort with architecture firm OUVI, the design consists of four free-standing volumes that are arranged in an offset fashion to integrate pockets of outdoor space into the layout.

image © hiroshi ueda

 

 

 

the study of the site recognized multiple external conditions that the apartment complex had to work with: a street lined with cherry blossom trees to the north, an adjacent fire department, and an industrial waste depot to the south. the architects aimed to create separation from these overlapping factors by providing a design that facilitated inward-views rather than towards the immediate site.

image © hiroshi ueda

 

 

 

conceived as a collection of small houses, the project offers four apartment units and individual outdoor gardens. the void spaces give off the impression of having been excised out of a larger collective volume, being finished in a lighter paneling to the dark metallic skin of the residences. offering two levels of living space, the interior utilizes a simple, open-concept layout. large windows face out to the gardens, establishing an active dialogue with the outdoors. though autonomous structures, the individual apartments remain linked through verandas.

view of outdoor void space image © hiroshi ueda

interior view of apartment unit image © hiroshi ueda

(left) second level (right) next to outdoor terrace images © hiroshi ueda

image © hiroshi ueda

night view image © hiroshi ueda

site plan image © hidetaka shirako architect & associates

section image © hidetaka shirako architect & associates

erika kim I designboom
sep 04, 2011

  • I love it!

    Sven says:
    Sep 04, 2011

  • Japanese arquitecture. Most of the times with something interesting to say. Despite de small size of the apartments and the steep staircases it is a simple and yet nice building. Seems perfectly integrated in the site and neighborhood. Good work with the scale of the overall building.

    Fernando says:
    Sep 06, 2011

  • I thought that steel panels get really hot in the sun and rather unpleasant in the winter. In the rain it works as a drum and with time it gets the lovely rust. and what about mobile phone network reception?

    Apart from that not the sexiest looking form.

    Oscar says:
    Mar 28, 2013

have something to add? share your thoughts in our comments section below.

comments policy
LOG IN
designboom's comment policy guidelines
generally speaking, if we publish something, it's because we're genuinely interested in the subject. we hope you'll share this interest and if you know even more about it, please share! our goal in the discussion threads is to have good conversation and we prefer constructive opinions. we and our readers have fun with entertaining ones. designboom welcomes alerts about typos, incorrect names, and the like.
the correction is at the discretion of the post editor and may not happen immediately.

what if you disagree with what we or another commenter has to say?
let's hear it! but please understand that offensive, inappropriate, or just plain annoying comments may be deleted or shortened.

- please do not make racist, sexist, anti-semitic, homophobic or otherwise offensive comments.
- please don't personally insult the writers or your fellow commenters.
- please avoid using offensive words, replacing a few letters with asterisks is not a valid workaround.
- please don't include your website or e-mail address in your comments for the purpose of self-promotion.
- please respect jury verdicts and do not discuss offensively on the competition results
(there is only one fist prize, and designboom usually asks renown professionals to help us to promote talent.
in addition to the awarded designs, we do feel that almost all deserve our attention, that is why we publish
the best 100-200 entries too.)

a link is allowed in comments as long as they add value in the form of information, images, humor, etc. (links to the front page of your personal blog or website are not okay). unwelcome links (to commercial products or services of others, offensive material etc. ) will be redacted. and, ... yes, spam gets banned. no, we do not post fake comments.

forgot password

(9 articles)

PRODUCT LIBRARY

a diverse digital database that acts as a valuable guide in gaining insight and information about a product directly from the manufacturer, and serves as a rich reference point in developing a project or scheme.

architecture news

all architecture news