YAP converts ground floor of small osaka building into its own architecture office

japanese architecture firm YAP, led by akito yamaguchi, has transformed the ground floor of a small building in osaka into its own studio. located in the city center, the workplace is surrounded by activity with traffic and pedestrians passing by throughout the day. although design offices are often located on the upper levels of a building, YAP decided to use the structure’s large opening at street level — originally used for the delivery of goods — to forge a relationship between the office and its context. ‘the design office was intended to be a place to connect people to people and a ‘laboratory’ to create a town,’ explains akito yamaguchi.

all images by kenji togo | video courtesy of YAP

YAP began the renovation by altering various parts of the existing building. for example, the uniform appearance of the gridded mortar floor that mediates between the office’s interior and exterior has been ‘softened’ with the help of a scrubbing brush to offer a more varied and individual appearance. the architects also paid particular attention to the ceiling, shaping lauan veneer to create a series of distinctive vaults. the same material was also used for the desk’s chunky cylindrical legs.

although the large opening can be closed, akito yamaguchi says that external noise remains audible: ‘the sound of a car running outside is always heard, making you feel as if you are working outside.’ however, the partition does have different layers, meaning that small windows can be opened rather than the entire façade. opposite, inside the space, the bookshelf has been made from galvanized steel to reflect as much light internally as possible. other experiments were carried out as part of the project’s completion. the wash basin is made from polyester resin, while expired red wine has been used to dye the floor a subtle shade of pink.

see other studios and workplaces visited by designboom on our dedicated page here.

floor plan and section

construction video courtesy of YAP

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project info:

name: YAP office
location: osaka, japan
use district: commercial area
total floor: 49.37 sqm
design period: 03.2018-10.2019
construction period: 01.2019-10.2019
built: 10.2019
building: steel structure / 1st floor of 3-story building
program: office
construction cost: 2 million yen
design: YAP/ akito yamaguchi, yoshiki otubo, kosuke yasuda, yusuke sawaji, ayaka fukuda
construction: YAP/ akito yamaguchi, yoshiki otubo, kosuke yasuda, yusuke sawaji, ayaka fukuda
funahashi komuten/ kotaro funahashi, ken ikeda
water supply and drainage: yamaha setubi/ katuyoshi hayashi,
air conditioning: maruta kutho/ takuma hiramatsu
steel production: bowlpond/ yasunobu ueda
photography: kenji togo