16A conceives concrete dormitory as a 'miniature version of its urban environment'

16A, an architecture firm based in tokyo, has designed a concrete dormitory for a civil engineering construction company. the building is located in a dense residential area of yokohama, an approximate one-hour commute from the company’s branch office in tokyo. local building regulations dictated that the site was split into two separate properties, each comprising seven separate blocks. each of these 14 blocks contains three units stacked on top of each other.

all images © satoshi asakawa

the separation of the blocks not only ensures privacy, but also guarantees natural daylight and ventilation. meanwhile, to connect the volumes, 16A constructed a series of bridges made of concrete slabs. although the building has been designed for single residents between the ages of 20 and 50, the client did not want to include common areas for social interaction. ‘they’d rather spend much of their time in their rooms alone than have BBQ parties in a courtyard,’ says the client.

instead, the building has been conceived as a miniature version of the dense urban environment. openings are strategically placed so as not to overlook other units, however passages and stairways are visible from outside of the property. ‘pockets of spaces and visible circulation elements make the building appear to be an extension of city streets and dissolve into the neighborhood,’ explain the architects.

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project info:

title: japan engineering foundation hiyoshi dormitory
location: yokohama, kanagawa, japan
architects: 16A architects
program: dormitory
year: 2018
photography: satoshi asakawa