CASE-REAL DESIGNS THE NEW LOCATION FOR GALLERY COMMON
in the harajuku area of tokyo, CASE-REAL has turned a basement with an unusually high ceiling into the new location for ‘gallery COMMON’. the new art gallery is characterized by clean white walls and four movable partitions that can transform the space into a variety of exhibition scenarios.
the fukuoka-based architects undertook the interior design project for a creative agency that operates multiple art spaces in harajuku.
images by daisuke shima
a DISTINCTIVE YET light-controlled environment
the basement room of gallery COMMON is accessed directly from an external staircase. when CASE-REAL approached the existing structure, they found an ‘overwhelmingly high’ ceiling and a space ‘filled with soft natural light’ due to glazed areas on all sides of the rectangular floor plan.
‘this feature was appealing as a project space, yet as a gallery, these many glass surfaces were a hindrance to exhibitions,’ explain the architects.
CASE-REAL decided to concentrate the incoming sunlight on one side, the largest dry area, and to recompose the rest of the openings as white walls. this made it possible to create a distinctive yet light-controlled environment while ensuring an ideal amount of wall display space.
the existing basement space was filled soft natural light
the architects utilized four H-shaped steel beams that crossed the existing ceiling to create part of the exhibition system. CASE-REAL attached adapters onto the beams then installed four large movable walls, each 25mm deep. the small toilet block was designed with the same dimensions as these partitions, enabling the walls to be stored neatly away on one side.
the stone floor features a bush hammered finish and a grid pattern that serves as a scale to determine the position of the movable walls. in spite of the simplicity, CASE-REAL wanted to create a space with both rigidity and softness by the usage of natural materials.
CASE-REAL recomposed three sides of the space as white walls
four movable partitions allow for various exhibition scenarios
the movable walls measure 25mm deep
the stone floors feature a bush hammered finish
gallery COMMON is accessed directly from an external staircase
project info:
name: gallery COMMON
type: interior
use: gallery
location: tokyo, japan
client: en one tokyo inc.
design: koichi futatusmata, yuki onita, ayaka sudo (CASE-REAL)
construction: D.BRAIN CO.,LTD.
lighting plan: tatsuki nakamura(BRANCH LIGHTING DESIGN)
floor area: 154.18 sqm
period: dec 2020 – aug 2021
photography: daisuke shima
