+ OKURAYAMA APARTMENTS

"This is an apartment building in Okurayama, located near the station. It consists of nine dwelling units, each about 50m2. Rather than build as many units as possible, given the site area, we aimed to produce spaces and an atmosphere where people can enjoy living and spending lots of their time.

We conceived the building as a bright, layered stacked structure, complete with enjoyable gardens. The courtyard gardens are created such that they open up to the outside of the site from the rectangular shaped, three-storied volume that occupies almost the entire site. This way, each garden and room opens toward the outside environment, while still maintaining privacy.

The gardens cut through a rectilinear space, giving the plan a continuous strip-shape. By cutting this strip-shaped plan randomly, some spaces become interior terraces, while others become exterior terraces. We tried to create a condition where interiors and exteriors are intermingled comfortably and continuously. From windows opening in various directions, people can have different kinds of views, such as gardens with a closed and quiet atmosphere, softly curved outside walls, or townscapes.

Dwellings are gathered together in relation to the open spaces; one dwelling might have a big room surrounded by a garden on the first floor and small bed room on the upper floor, another dwelling might have a three-pronged room and an outside terrace on the second floor, and yet another dwelling might have a big terrace on the third floor. In sum, we hoped to have designed enjoyable and comfortable living spaces where different spaces can espouse various different life styles by spreading gardens, bathrooms, bedrooms, and living rooms all over the site, in a three-dimensional fashion."

Written by Kazuyo Sejima