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
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I love it!
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.
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.