yoshiaki oyabu architects: urban woods

”urban woods’ by yoshiaki oyabu architects in osaka, japan all images courtesy yoshiaki oyabu architects

japanese practice yoshiaki oyabu architects has shared with us images of ‘urban woods’, a parasitic installation ad renovation project in osaka, japan. situated adjacent to an exceptionally wide and busy road in the city, the design seeks to reintroduce the concept of nature into the urban fabric while raising commercial appeal to the tenant building.

street view

conceived as a small forest, the design consists of a grid-like system of lumber pieces that loosely wrap around the building’s volume. the natural elements of the installation purposely contrasts itself from the mainly industrial site, creating irregular forms on the otherwise rectangular volume. integrated with the exterior expression of the building, the wood structure lends a distinct identity to the design.

exterior view

the ‘forest’ elements permeate into the interior space, spreading on the ceiling like a system of roots. a built-in bench which runs along the side of the layout extends beyond the glazing to form a long outdoor terrace which benefits from a level of privacy behind the wood installation. as a result, the structure performs as an extra skin to the building, providing additional shading from both sunlight and outside views. as time goes by, the untreated wood structure will age and slowly change its appearance with growing ivy.

outdoor space

interior view at night

view of the street

night street view

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