kochi architect’s studio renovates tokyo apartment with asymmetric plywood planes

kochi architect’s studio renovates tokyo apartment with asymmetric plywood planes
image © daici ano

japanese practice kochi architect’s studio has overhauled a typical two-storey apartment building with the use of centrally positioned void that serves to connect eight interior rooms. located in suburban tokyo, the previously existing building was threatened with demolition until architect kazuyasu kochi suggested renovating the structure.

a centrally positioned void connects eight interior spaces
image © kazuyasu kochi

in order to establish both private and communal spaces, the design cuts a large void into the center of the building’s structural grid, providing new sightlines among the home’s various volumes. each angled plywood plane has then been painted in a different color, lending the interior an abstract quality which continues throughout the dwelling. kazuyasu kochi contends that in the future, owing to the country’s rapid depopulation, japanese families should be able to occupy more living space, with larger room sizes.

the design cuts a large void into the center of the building’s structural grid
image © daici ano

each angled plywood plane has then been painted in a different color
image © daici ano

the scheme establishes both private and communal areas
image © daici ano

the unassuming exterior of the renovated apartment building
image © daici ano

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project info:

type: residential renovation of a two-storey wooden house
area: 177.31 sqm
completed: march, 2014
design: kazuyasu kochi / kochi architect’s studio
structural design: yukihiro kato MI+D architectural structure laboratory　
photography: daici ano / kazuyasu kochi