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Architects: NI&Co. Architects
- Year: 2018
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Photographs:Hiroshi Tanigawa Photo
The smallest unit constituting society
This is a renovation project of the office presided over by the two co-owners. This space where two people share their time can be said to be the smallest spatial unit in society. Where it required two personalities and desires in one space, we created a unit space filled with many options. The office is a small space of 28 square meters, but it is finely segmented, creating a number of places. If that is the case, while having a personality where there is a place, we aim at the state related to separation. We expanded the small place and the whole, and also made the appropriate balance.
Interruption by another person
Along with the dismantling of the existing space, there were many findings. The facility shaft on the upper floor passes through the office of 1F horizontally and vertically. Parts that require periodic meter readings and inspections, such as the water meters and sewage basins in the entire building, are located in the first floor. This originates from what was initially established by the original building, but the 1F tenant must undertake the share spaces of the entire building. So, we thought to actively undertake such [distortion] that gradually accumulated in the past 40 years. The two office spaces are set as the core in the center of the floor, and the concurrent space becomes a place that allows others to interrupt. Acceptable things are kept as much as possible, and unacceptable [distortion] arising from environmental, historical and structural aspects is undertaken by surplus space other than core. As a shared water meter and a sewage basin remain, we defined this surplus space as “street” and thought about the public space, which is in a very private area.
A way to mediate between privacy and publicity
In Japan, “street” complemented the place of people's daily activities. It can also be said that “street” has played the role of “square” in foreign countries. In this project, we set five openings in the facade which is additional space facing the outside. It is a minimal opening that spontaneously produces the flow of things and events without creating one specific opening. This moderately continuous street has certain uses (Kitchen, Gallery, Meeting Space, Library etc.), but through this opening there is a possibility of changing to have different meanings. By treating the division and linkage equivalently, we aimed at a space that gradually mediates private and public.
