go hasegawa designs prototypical living space for MUJI employees

against the backdrop of beijing’s herzog & de meuron-designed national stadium, ten design teams have presented miniature dwellings that consider how we may live in the cities of the future. the brief for the ‘china house vision’ exhibition encouraged creatives to think about themes such as energy consumption, communication, artificial intelligence, and the sharing economy — all topics that must be considered when designing a contemporary urban dwelling. in addition to contributions from MAD architects and MINI living, the initiative also includes a scheme conceived by MUJI and japanese architect go hasegawa.

MUJI has referenced china’s history of shared housing to create a concept for its own employees
image courtesy of MUJI (also main image)

in developing their project, MUJI referenced china’s history of shared housing to create a concept for its own employees. in particular, the scheme examines the upper floors of residential buildings in shanghai where 4-meter-high spaces are too tall for single-storey occupancy and not tall enough for duplex dwellings. the company believes that these volumes could be transformed into micro apartments for staff working at MUJI’s shanghai office, who may live up to three hours away.

private areas contain storage racks and a bed
image courtesy of MUJI

go hasegawa’s design uses a centrally positioned, three dimensional unit — similar to the ‘canopy beds’ found in traditional chinese houses — to divide the shared and private parts of the home. inside the unit, a ladder leads to the bedrooms, which, as with the communal space below, is fitted out with MUJI furniture, including storage racks and a bed. meanwhile, the area below contains shared household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners.

the design uses a centrally positioned, three dimensional unit
image courtesy of MUJI

the lower level functions as an open plan shared space
image courtesy of china house vision

MUJI furniture is found throughout the scheme
image courtesy of china house vision

shared household appliances can be used by all occupants
image courtesy of china house vision

a staircase leads from the lower level to the private sleeping areas above
image courtesy of china house vision

the dwelling was presented as part of an exhibition titled ‘china house vision’
image courtesy of china house vision