snarkitecture excavates areas for art within '3110NZ' restaurant and gallery in tokyo

snarkitecture has completed a cultural destination in tokyo that offers a unique dining experience within an art gallery. by day, ‘3110NZ’ operates as an outpost of NANZUKA, a contemporary art gallery run by shinji nanzuka, while at night, the space transforms into a omakase restaurant helmed by takashi saito of sushi saito. as the project is located in the quiet residential neighborhood of nakameguro, snarkitecture, working alongside local architect SNARK, wanted to create a ‘discreet exterior’ that was respectful of its surroundings.

all images by ippei shinzawai

however, the exterior also intends to invoke curiosity about the experience within. snarkitecture says that the design for the façade emerged from a concept that inserted a solid volume into the corner location, out of which the exterior openings and interior spaces were excavated. this direction inspired the form of the custom oak front door and backlit portholes, which appear to have been carved from the hand-troweled cement facade.

these excavated forms continue internally and are applied to the dining area and gallery walls. the niches in the latter provide a series of illuminated caverns to display works of art. meanwhile, overhead, a stretched scrim washes a uniform glow over the space and imbues a sense of calm. the dining area, complete with custom oak chairs, has been designed around a large slab of hinoki wood — a sacred species with a soft lemon scent used in sashimi preparation.

below, the flooring references the stepping stone arrangements found in japanese rock gardens. here, large pebbles formed of terrazzo are surrounded by a concrete infill, encouraging visitors to feel grounded while viewing the artworks on display.

project info: 

client: LDH kitchen
design architect: snarkitecture
local architect: yu yamada / SNARK inc.
design direction: NANZUKA
logo design: hajime sorayama
construction: butter inc.
total area: 84.77 square meters
completion: july 2020
photo: ippei shinzawa