Share to
KIBA Tokyo Residence
By : SAKAE Architects & Engineers
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 15th edition
Discipline : Architecture
Categories : Other categories in architecture / Facade : Gold Certification
Categories : Commercial Building / Mixed-Use Building : Silver Certification
Categories : Residential Building / Apartment & Condo of 5 to 9 storeys : Gold Certification
Categories : Special Award / Architecture + Wood : Gold Certification
≫Concept
This is a project to rebuild a residential building on a small site of Tokyo Japan. For adaptation of the various lifestyles and improving the added value of the building, we designed multiple spaces by using exceptional cases of maisonnette style housing to the building standard law. Also, we attempted to put the building in harmony with the historic site of Edo Tokyo *Kiba which was known for lumber dealings. We try to make new values and new lifestyles by the inside (interior space), and to show historical and cultural heritage by the outside (exterior space).
*Kiba: "Ki" means wood, and "ba" means town.
≫The capability of a small residential building in a city.
We have been witnessing the problems of the deterioration of old buildings and the excess number of open spaces on a small site of Tokyo lately. The majority of those properties in fact have been wiped out by the urban renewal. In this project, we endeavored to explore the capability of a small residence on a small site in the center of Tokyo.
In order to adapt the various lifestyles of the city as well as maximize the potential of the small building, we designed the building with multiple spaces based on the lifestyle despite the strict restrictions given by the size of the site. Therefore, we accomplished to have three different types of housings, namely a residence for one person (Type A), a couple (Type B) and a family with children (Type C) in a single building. Even though the size of the building is small, the different types of housings are being together, therefore constructed the fine community of a residence in a city.
≫Re-creating the landscape of Edo Tokyo Kiba.
The recent trend of large-scale metropolitan development has been prevailing in the world's popular cities as well as developing countries. Due to this trend, we have been witnessing uncountable instances in which small buildings are either eliminated as whole or absorbed into enormous cities. In fact, this leads to reduction of historical and cultural properties and values of the area. Since such large-scale developments are necessary for cities and nations to flourish, we are not here to criticize it in any way.
As for the project site, due to the huge quantity of the land as well as the access to the water in the center of Edo Tokyo, there used to be lots of lumber retailers that had its lumbers piled up in front of the store as well as leaned against its entrance in Kiba. However, since most of the business moved its location to Shin-Kiba (New-Kiba) in 1981, we no longer see the original landscape.
Taking these issues into consideration, the facade of the building is designed by an image of the original landscape of Edo Tokyo Kiba. The facade consists of two elements, the latticework and the wooden louver. A design of the grid windows and sashes comes from the Kouraiya latticework, which is one of the most iconic latticework of the Edo period. The wooden louver reminds us of the original landscape of Kiba which was the lumber leaned against the entrance of a lumber retail shop vertically.
≫KIBA Tokyo Residence
In this project, taking account of these previously mentioned factors, we try to make new values and new lifestyles from the inside (interior spaces), and to show historical and cultural heritage from the outside (exterior spaces), and to respond with a memorable building that can only be designed on this site. This architectural concept would become a model of global architecture.
Collaboration
