in 2005, architects/artists shusaku arakawa and madeline gins completed ‘the reversible destiny lofts mitaka (in memory of helen keller)’, a complex of apartments which has now become a landmark in tokyo’s western suburbs. dubbed as a ‘house to not to die’ (another example here), the experimental project is designed to stimulate the body in order to bring attention to its full potential. the complex is dedicated to the memory of american author and activist helen keller, who was greatly admired by arakawa and gins as someone who was able to practice ‘reversible destiny’ in her own life time.
photo by masataka nakano, via airbnb
all images © 2005 reversible destiny lofts mitaka (in memory of helen keller), via reversible destiny foundation, unless stated otherwise
‘the reversible destiny lofts mitaka (in memory of helen keller)‘ were developed according to the philosophy of ‘procedural architecture’ as developed by shusaku arakawa and madeline gins. their philosophy aims to challenge and stimulate the senses by offering the possibility to discover the full potential of the body and experience challenging environments. these environments may be physically better suited for a child than an adult to use at times, or more easy to use for an elderly person at other times. in this way, the architecture highlights how different our bodies are from each other, and how our own body changes constantly, helping individuals realize they can do things that at times thought were impossible. for arakawa and gins, this ‘reversible’ destiny’ idea was embodied by helen keller, to whom they dedicated the project.
photo by masataka nakano
located in mitaka, a suburb of tokyo, the collective housing project consists of nine units that utilize three shapes – the cube, the sphere and the tube – into stacked arrangements. the units are painted in fourteen colors inside and outside, while each apartment features a circular room with a kitchen in the center, and three or four other shapes depending on its size. interiors are developed with the aim of challenging and stimulating the senses, and include floors made of an uneven compacted material. vertical poles help residents move within the space, while ceiling hooks accommodate storage lighting and furniture. the different units in the complex are connected by a series of external walkways and staircases.
photo by masataka nakano
today, ‘the reversible destiny lofts mitaka’ are used as residential, educational and cultural facilities, managed by the tokyo office of arakawa and gins. some of the units are available for long and short-term lease, such as this four-person apartment which is available through airbnb.
image via airbnb
photo by masataka nakano
project info:
name: the reversible destiny lofts mitaka (in memory of helen keller)
architect: shusaku arakawa + madeline gins
address: 2-2-8 osawa, mitaka-shi, tokyo, japan
planning: shusaku arakawa + madeline gins, yasui architects and engineers, inc.
contractor: takenaka corporation
completion date: october 2005
main use: apartment house
structure: pre-cast concrete, reinforced concrete, steel-frame
building area: 260.61 m2
total floor area: 761.46 m2
