בניין מגורים ביפן || פרויקטים

Projeect Name: Sakuragicho Residence
Location：Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture Japan
Building Type：Apartment
Completion：2021.3
Architect: Akira Koyama + KEY OPERATION INC. / ARCHITECTS
Execution Architect：X-ARC Urban Architects
Contractor：DaishoStructure：TERRA Structural Design Office
Service engineer：Yayoi Sekkei
Site Area：503.70 m2
Building Area：416.90 m2
Total Floor Area：4129.76 m2
Photography：Noriyuki Yano

בלוקי דירות צצו ברחבי יפן לאחר מלחמת העולם השנייה, ועד 2019 היו יותר מ-6.6 מיליון יחידות ברחבי הארץ. מבנים גדולים עם למעלה ממאה יחידות, כמו זה, משפיעים באופן משמעותי על מראה הנוף העירוני. לבניינים רבים מרובים יחידות גדולות יש מרפסות רציפות לאורך חזיתותיהם כדי לשפר את היעילות של פינוי חירום, ולעתים קרובות מוצבים מזגנים חיצוניים גם במרפסות אלו. פרויקט זה מבקש להגדיר מחדש את בלוק הדירות המוכר עם מרפסת ואריחים במראה חדש.

This gives rise to the characteristic look of many apartment blocks, with balconies running the length of each floor punctuated by dividing walls between units. Beginning in the 1980s, developers began using tiled facades to give their buildings a classy appearance and improve marketability. But while tiling did raise the value of the units, in recent years accidents involving falling tiles have become a problem. 


Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano


Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano

Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano


Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano


Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano


Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano

The facade of the residential portion of the building, which starts on the second floor, does indeed feature balconies across the length of each floor. However, an outer skin punctuated by evenly spaced openings wraps over the balconies, blending the upper floors with the commercial-use first floor and lending ambiguity to the facade, which could just as easily conceal a business complex as a residential one. 

Instead of tiling the exterior, we used concrete imprinted with grooved formwork to reference the appearance of Yokohama’s classic brick buildings. A clear coating makes the concrete look like grey brick from a distance. We initially considered finishing the inside of the balconies with wood paneling, but due to the challenges of maintenance in apartment blocks, we settled on concrete imprinted with vertical grooves at intervals the width of wood panels. A light undercoat and darker topcoat were applied to the concrete, which was then scraped with a wood-graining tool before the stain dried to replicate wood panels. 
In this project, an ambiguous concrete skin serves multiple function: referencing urban history, contributing to the cityscape, revitalizing the community, adding value for buyers and sellers, and easing maintenance. It is our hope that the project offers a new model for apartment block design. 


Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano


Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano


Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano


Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano


Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano

Sakuragicho Residence, Photo Credit：Noriyuki Yano