In the heart of Tokyo, an apartment is envisioned as a quarried habitation, where walls are not thin planes, but carved out mass. Bookshelves, facing the private bedrooms, have vertical supports of solid hinoki, acting as book shaped book ends, creating a shelf that has a pleasant presence with or without books.
While the bookshelf is a carveout of a solid inside the bedroom, it is read as a large solid object from the living room. By rotating the mass by 5 degrees, the object creates a significant presence while also feeling inevitable in its existence, as if it has always been there. The 5 degree angle also creates the exact dimensions for the MEP to connect to the kitchen from the exterior.
The materials of the house were carefully selected to use real solid materials, from the maple floors, shikkui walls, and the handmade tiles. The house is also outfitted with custom hand-crafted furniture and accessories. All able to withstand wear and imprint the memories of the house.
Daikanyama, Tokyo, Japan
Construction nearing Completion