mosquito net-like latticework envelops SAKO's concrete multi-tenant building in japan

Lattice in Fukuoka by Sako architects

Within the city of Fukuoka, Japan, SAKO architects has built a three-story multi-tenant building completely enveloped by a slender lattice façade. The permeable design aims to alleviate the oppressive feeling created by the 20-meter-long concrete wall of the adjacent structure and stands directly in front of the new building. The grid is expected to fill with greenery over time, giving the project an increasingly changeable and vibrant appearance.

the three-story building is enveloped by a slender lattice | all images courtesy of SAKO architects

an ever-changing façade

The location of this new project by SAKO architects is just 3 minutes from the subway station, while the front 5.5 meters of the site connects to the main street. The Japanese architecture firm has inserted this new multi-tenant building into a series of residential buildings with impermeable walls and an introverted character. The result is an impenetrable backdrop that will exist for decades to come.

To break up this dense environment, the elevation of the adjacent building is divided into several squares. The checkerboard pattern will gradually become clearer as the horizontal and vertical lines are gradually blackened, but at different speeds. In this way, the elevation will become an ever-changing ‘scenery’. The openness of the project is further enhanced by the mosquito net-like latticework that envelops the structure, forming a grid façade that matches the checkerboard pattern of the adjacent building. In the future, the staircase will be covered with ivy, and the mosquito net-like lattice will eventually transform into a green façade.

the elevation of the adjacent building is divided into several squares