Ryue Nishizawa’s white volumes in tokyo

 

The ‘Moriyama House’ is a small cluster of living spaces in downtown Tokyo, fitting a series of house units that vary in shape, size, and typology. Constructed in 2005 by Japanese architect Ryue Nishizawa, the project comprises a series of nine white blocks that each accommodate different requirements.

 

The ‘Moriyama House’ recalls nostalgic memories from the capital’s bygone neighborhoods, where architecture was mainly characterized by the concept of openness and fluidity, providing locals with moments of carefreeness. With this ambition to develop vivid living spaces, the architects sought to avoid creating architecture confined exclusively to the interior spaces. Instead, they opted for a scheme that smoothly unfurls on the exteriors. Thus, the result sees a residential complex that stretches horizontally and so lets a series of outdoor spaces snake around the volumes. This alternation of solids and voids (paved alleyways and green pops) evokes a village-like atmosphere, exuding an effortless intimacy. 

ryue nishizawa's volumes & voids recall memories from tokyo's nostalgic neighborhoods

all images by Ryue Nishizawa | the architecture continues from indoors to gardens and alleyways

 

 

a sequence of small volumes & voids

 

The vision of this project was to enter small outdoor areas into an urban pattern made of a repeated sequence of small buildings and voids. This way, each household is imbued with tiny green spots and maintains its privacy, all the while remaining part of a larger whole.

 

The residential complex comprises tiny studios for rent dubbed ‘one-room mansions’ and an independent residence. Different typologies were crammed into the site to enliven this intimate village-like aura, recalling the past charming urban blocks ‘where houses were standing at small intervals in orderly rows’.

 

Ryue Nishizawa‘s architecture includes three-story houses, half-buried square volumes, structures with extremely high ceilings, and others surrounded by a garden on four sides. This unique morphology renders a vibrant connection between the built and the natural environment. ‘Assuming that incorporating the owner’s residence into the housing complex would make the volume much too large compared to the neighboring buildings, we chose to separate the houses and arrange them independently,’ as stated by the team.

ryue nishizawa's volumes & voids recall memories from tokyo's nostalgic neighborhoods
vegetation peeks through the white blocks

ryue nishizawa's volumes & voids recall memories from tokyo's nostalgic neighborhoods
recalling memories from Tokyo’s old neighborhoods

ryue nishizawa's volumes & voids recall memories from tokyo's nostalgic neighborhoods

ryue nishizawa's volumes & voids recall memories from tokyo's nostalgic neighborhoods
contemporary lives merge with a more traditional arrangement

ryue nishizawa's volumes & voids recall memories from tokyo's nostalgic neighborhoods
each household is imbued with a tiny green area

 

 

project info:

 

name: Moriyama House

architect: Ryue Nishizawa, Ippei Takahashi*,Yusuke Ohi*, Kimihiko Okada*（*=former staff）

program: private residence, apartment
location: Tokyo, Japan
design period: September 2002 – February 2004
construction period: August 2004 – October 2005
structural engineer: structured environment
HVAC engineer: Kankyo Engineering
structure: steel plate
site area: 290.07 sqm
building area: 130.06 sqm
floor area: 263.08 sqm