schemata architecture office studio visit

schemata’s studio in tokyo, japan image © designboom

designboom recently met up with jo nagasaka of schemata architects in tokyo to visit his work space and gallery. located in the meguro ward of the capital city, the one-and-a-half-storey space employs a highly transparent face towards the street with floor-to-ceiling tinted glazing. passing residents get a glimpse of the exhibiting pieces in the gallery, which is hosted on the ground level of the office.

entrance image © designboom

the overall atmosphere of the gallery reflects schemata’s design approach and method: incorporating the old with the new, the traditional with the modern, the space is outfitted with recycled components and materials left in their raw form: the concrete floor remains exposed with scuff marks and textures; the display walls of the gallery consists of panels of chip boards which have been lightly painted over in white; the office itself is hosted on a lofted mezzanine space which largely reuses discarded materials for parts of its assembly. the studio’s recently finished project for aesop applies similar repurposing techniques to create a space which celebrates details and a materials’ many lives.

exhibiting work in the gallery space; ikuko soda exhibition image © designboom

(left) looking into the gallery space (right) stairs up to the office mezzanine images © designboom

office area image © designboom

looking down on to the ground floor from the office mezzanine image © designboom

tucked behind a partial gallery wall in a corner of the main floor is a small shop space which is stocked with design objects and accessories. a storage area which can transform into a workshop for model building or even an impromptu meeting room rests under the loft level.

shop around the corner from the gallery space image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

shelving incorporated into the structure image © designboom

workshop and storage underneath the loft image © designboom

scrapped furniture pieces are recycled and reused image © designboom

flowers and gifts from the opening of a recent exhibition image © designboom

elements of the street is brought indoors, further blurring the boundary between interior/exterior by the floor-to-ceiling glazing. dirt, plants, and rocks are placed along the edge of the gallery space, complimenting the natural material treatment of the project.

tinted glazing street facade image © designboom

living plants runs along the street edge of the gallery image © designboom

a bit of the street on the inside image © designboom

exterior face image © designboom

jo nagasaka outside the schemata architecture office portrait © designboom