Tokyo Kagurazaka Residence / SPEAC

Architect: Hiroyuki Miyabe / SPEAC, inc.
Location: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Producer: Hiroya Yoshizato (SPEAC,inc.)
Architect in Charge: Kimiyoshi Arakawa, Tomoko Kawai, Jun Yoshimura (SPEAC,inc.)
Documentation, Engineering and Construction: Satohide corporation
Landscape Design: Townscape Design Institute,inc.
Site Area: 1,080 sqm
Built Up Area: 2,949 sqm
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Masao Nishikawa

This collective house is located in Kagurazaka area where is one of the most popular area in Tokyo still keeping Japanese traditional atmosphere. This atmosphere is gradually destroyed day by day. To make positive approach to this problem, we thought to extend the atmosphere into this architecture. We analyzed the element of this atmosphere and edited them in this architecture.

ground floor plan

Green is the most important element.　In this area, ups and downs are big. We can find a lot of green on the upper and lower sides.

Small passes also make a strong character. They are sometimes cranked and we can’t get a view straightly. So we are very stirred our imagination and imagine the next scene. We call a phenomenon of the space like this “OKU” in Japanese.

Besides these elements we picked up colors, materials, lights and so on.

And we translated them into the vocabulary of contemporary architecture. As to green, plants are placed 3 dimensionally not only on the ground but also upper und underground floors.

The corridors on the 2nd and 3rd floor are cranked like small passes in this area and after turning the corner with feeling of OKU we find green. And we also applied a concept of OKU to the interior. The openings were made between the walls and ceilings. We can feel the atmosphere of the next space over the wall.