Tokyo: The Latest Architecture and News

Our friends from Abitare shared this cool noodle shop designed by ISSHO Architects with us. Located in central Tokyo, the ‘soba’ noodle shop has Machiya-style wooden louvers, invoking a traditional Japanese townhouse. The varying depth of each louver creates a textured sensation across the facade. Regionally different patterns of light spill through the façade from the interior, allowing a gradual change of character at dawn, especially as viewed from the main street. The facade aesthetic is modified on the interior’s ceiling as white curved panels contrast the concrete and wood dinning areas to soften the space. A minimalistic residential apartment for the owner sits above the noodle shop.

More images after the break.

Here’s a kind of project we don’t frequently see a lot of…a public bathroom facility. Shuichiro Yoshida, a Tokyo based architect, designed lavatories housed on less than 9m2 of ground space in Chikusei City. The site is a historic storage building, (one of the few still standing after the WWII), and a volunteer group obtained the ownership of the building to use as their activity base for “discovering the region-specific historical and cultural heritages.” Yoshia was asked to add lavatories for visitors and staff (as there are none within the building). Faced with such a small area of land to provide facilities for both men and women, the bathrooms are, in fact, an elegant addition to the main building. Due to the small footprint, the bathrooms maintain an open feeling because they are open to a high ceiling with exposed timber supports. The lavatories are seen as a way to not only preserve the region-specific landscape but also to create new landscape for the future. The exterior is clad in elastic plasterer finish while the interior walls are finished in a white material known as “Shikkui” which has humid conditioning and fire prevention.

More images after the break.

With the exhibition “COOP HIMMELB(L)AU: Beyond the Blue” being recently closed at the Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio, USA another single exhibition will be opened on September 18, 2009 at NTT InterCommunication Center in Tokyo, Japan.

EVENT 1: “Light-Light in Tokyo” Curiosity’s “Light-Light” installation for “Tokyo Wonder” exhibition in Milan last year was a huge success. The magical installation of 80 lights floating in the air was remembered by many as “one of best installations during the Milano Salone”. Now “Light-Light” will finally be introduced to Tokyo. A “sweet” performance “light-food” created especially for the Tokyo event will also be presented. Held from March 25 to April 5, at the Louis Vuitton Hall. More information, here.