Within the scope of Massif, which spanned architectural, electrical, interior, and furniture design, we consciously tried to minimize interior design intervention and construction to the original restaurant space. We kept the original basic layout, reusing the existing facilities and kitchen as much as possible, and only carried out minimal repairs after dismantling the walls and ceiling. The original wood tile flooring of the previous restaurant was restored, repolished, and reshaped, with a slightly adjusted outline. We minimized the interior work as much as possible, only demolishing where necessary. On the other hand, we carefully designed the texture and feel of the furniture and other areas that people would come into direct contact with. This approach allowed us to balance the areas where we would allocate costs and those where we would not.
Even if this facility is demolished in a few years, the furniture produced for this project can be reused elsewhere.
The cafe and bar tabletops are made stone offcuts from a quarry in Manazuru. The tabletops are used as is, with a natural cracked surface from the unprocessed scrap stone.
The bar counter and restaurant tabletops are made of two types of plaster mixed with sand, each with a different texture: one with a damp-like texture of the earthen floor of tataki (traditional Japanese earthen floor) and the other with a seemingly dry earthen texture. They have a rough soil-like appearance but feel smooth to the touch. The sofas are made from fabric that has been upcycled from indigo-dyed kimono using a technique called sakiori, which is used in kimono restoration. The glass pendant lights by the wall were handmade using recycled bottles.
The chairs accompanying the plaster tables were designed by Martino Gamper, and are not commercially available in Japan. He shared his drawings, and we had them made in Japan using local hinoki wood. The client was particularly keen to use these chairs. Considering shipping costs and CO2 emissions, it would be better to create a system where a designer provides design drawings, furniture is produced locally, and some of the profits are distributed to the designer, rather than using the traditional furniture distribution system model where furniture is made in Europe and imported to Japan.
The existing building is supported by concrete pillars in the shape of the letter A at regular intervals. The layout was designed so that the function of the space changes as one passes through each of the openings created by the A-shaped columns. The central A-shaped pillars in Massif serve as a boundary, separating the café and bar in the front from the restaurant in the back. Beyond another set of pillars, there is an entrance to the gallery operated by CEKAI. The passageway between the gallery and the restaurant has a partition which is opened or closed depending on the nature of the exhibition or the status of the restaurant, so that the atmosphere can be adjusted accordingly.
The indoor terrace was the only part of the project that incorporated architectural moves. The client wanted us to create a space where one could feel the outside atmosphere inside. We also often feel the lack of good terrace seating in Tokyo. With this in mind, we enlarged the opening in the exterior wall facing the street and installed large openable sliding doors. We installed two round tables for six people and hung dark gray organza curtains to delineate the space. By opening and closing the curtains, the space can be used as an airy indoor terrace or as a semi-private dining room.
Team:
Architects: DDAA / DDAA LAB
Design Corperation: Keisuke Hatakenaka Architects Studio
Construction: Ishizue Column
VI・Sign Planning: Takahiro Yasuda (CEKAI)
Artwork: Kentaro Okawara / Kori Girard / Elijah Anderson / Bennet Schlesinger / Fumiko Atsukawa
Custom-made Lighting Production: STUDIO PREPA
Planting Design: Yard Works
Photographer: Kenta Hasegawa
