Archello Awards · Winners Announced
Archello Awards 2024 · Winners Announced
Archello Awards 2024
Winners Announced
MORI-TOYO Udon Restaurant
©Kai Nakamura

Udon restaurant 「MORI-TOYO」

atelier N as Architects

The site is a residential area near Lake Town, Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture. It is located in a place where rice fields remain as a remnant of the past.
A new construction plan for a udon restaurant in such a location.
The adjacent land is a rice field, and the construction site was originally a rice field.
First, the design began with the aim of taking advantage of the tranquil environment of the rice fields.
The layout and floor plan of the building were designed to match the rectangular shape of the adjacent rice field, making the building elongated with a short side of 4,550 mm and a long side of 27 m.

photo_credit ©Kai Nakamura
©Kai Nakamura
photo_credit ©Kai Nakamura
©Kai Nakamura
photo_credit ©Kai Nakamura
©Kai Nakamura
photo_credit ©Kai Nakamura
©Kai Nakamura

As you can see from the view of the building across the rice fields, you can enjoy the full view of the rice fields while eating udon from inside the building.
The wind blowing from south to north passes through the building and out to the rice fields on the north side. The rice swaying in the wind also represents the pleasant wind that blows in this area.
Regarding the construction of the building, we tried to avoid making any changes as much as possible, so that it would be a primitive building that could be completed once the structure was assembled.
The floor is finished by applying a surface hardening agent to the 400mm thick basic concrete and then carving out the surface.

photo_credit ©Kai Nakamura
©Kai Nakamura
photo_credit ©Kai Nakamura
©Kai Nakamura

 

The foundation, pillars, and beams were exposed and glass was attached to the structure to create a boundary between the interior and exterior, and no other work was done. Before assembly, the structure was brought in and painted with an oil stain to repel rain.
I believe that such a primitive structure has blended into the landscape of the neighboring rice fields, and has become a part of the place without disrupting the original tranquil environment and scenery.
Approximately 300 cedar pillars with a cross section of 90 mm square and 3 m long are hung around the outer perimeter of the building to serve as louvers, but these hanging pillars are actually designed to resemble giant noren curtains.

photo_credit ©Kai Nakamura
©Kai Nakamura
photo_credit ©Kai Nakamura
©Kai Nakamura

A noren curtain made of hanging pillars invites customers in. Once inside the building, there is an open space that is different from the impression from the outside. There are rice fields in front of you, and you can enjoy the special udon and tempura made by the owner. I think we have created a udon restaurant where you can eat, drink beer, and relax.
Anyone can easily pass through the wooden curtains from the gravel parking lot, which has been purposely designed to be rough and unintimidating, and enter the store, where the bustle of customers echoes on the concrete floor, surrounded by the scent of wood and the frame. There is a rice field in front of the space.

Project Credits
Architects
Product Spec Sheet

Products Behind Projects
Product Spotlight
News
Fernanda Canales designs tranquil “House for the Elderly” in Sonora, Mexico
12 Dec 2024 News
Fernanda Canales designs tranquil “House for the Elderly” in Sonora, Mexico

Mexican architecture studio Fernanda Canales has designed a semi-open, circular community center for... More

Australia’s first solar-powered façade completed in Melbourne
12 Dec 2024 News
Australia’s first solar-powered façade completed in Melbourne

Located in Melbourne, 550 Spencer is the first building in Australia to generate its own electricity... More

SPPARC completes restoration of former Victorian-era Army & Navy Cooperative Society warehouse
11 Dec 2024 News
SPPARC completes restoration of former Victorian-era Army & Navy Cooperative Society warehouse

In the heart of Westminster, London, the London-based architectural studio SPPARC has restored and r... More

Green patination on Kyoto coffee stand is brought about using soy sauce and chemicals
10 Dec 2024 News
Green patination on Kyoto coffee stand is brought about using soy sauce and chemicals

Ryohei Tanaka of Japanese architectural firm G Architects Studio designed a bijou coffee stand in Ky... More

New building in Montreal by MU Architecture tells a tale of two facades
10 Dec 2024 News
New building in Montreal by MU Architecture tells a tale of two facades

In Montreal, Quebec, Le Petit Laurent is a newly constructed residential and commercial building tha... More

RAMSA completes Georgetown University's McCourt School of Policy, featuring unique installations by Maya Lin
10 Dec 2024 News
RAMSA completes Georgetown University's McCourt School of Policy, featuring unique installations by Maya Lin

Located on Georgetown University's downtown Capital Campus, the McCourt School of Policy by Robert A... More

MVRDV-designed clubhouse in shipping container supports refugees through the power of sport
9 Dec 2024 News
MVRDV-designed clubhouse in shipping container supports refugees through the power of sport

MVRDV has designed a modular and multi-functional sports club in a shipping container for Amsterdam-... More

Archello Awards 2025 expands with 'Unbuilt' awards categories
9 Dec 2024 Archello Awards
Archello Awards 2025 expands with 'Unbuilt' project awards categories

Archello is excited to introduce a new set of twelve 'Unbuilt' project awards for the Archello Award... More