PLAFUS Kichijoji: Weaving Fresh Charm Through Small Scale Change
Of the more than 90% of office buildings in Japan leased to tenants, more than half are small to medium-sized buildings. In order to respond to the client's desire to "contribute to the growth of the city as a developer," we explored together how a small- to medium-scale tenant building can contribute to the city's attractiveness, rather than what can result from a product of economics. Kichijoji, the site of the project, is one of Tokyo’s most popular cities, with a concentration of various elements, including the greenery of Inokashira Park, bustling stores and cafes, shopping streets that support daily life, and surrounding residential areas. Kichijoji’s most attractive feature is its "depth" in terms of time and experience, which can be experienced by walking through its alleys and buildings. Kichijoji’s depth is incorporated into the design of the PLAFUS building in a number of ways. Its approach draws in the liveliness of the streets with a passage extending to the rear of the site, while its facade creates a multilayered streetscape by visualizing depth through the eaves and side walls. Lastly, its green roof terrace adds three-dimensional depth. The project incorporates elements that shape Kichijoji while adding new charm. It also demonstrates a new type of urban development in which small- and medium-scale buildings play a leading role; small changes that inherit local charm go on to weave a charm of their own into the area.
Ground-level design draws local bustle into the building
The building’s entrance is not located in its center, but rather pulled into an alleyway, creating a visual connection from the alley across the street to the rear of the building. Using the full site depth in this way yields deep “folds” in the townscape with an approach that draws in the street buzz. The first floor also forms a setback facing the street, creating a new place of liveliness for the town, which is full of narrow passageways.
Facade design accentuates depth
In contrast to the depth of the street space, Kichijoji’s streetscape is relatively flat. The universal vocabulary of horizontal and vertical "lines" was elevated by visualizing the site depth, using side walls to form a three-dimensional, layered facade. Despite its distinctive appearance, it blends in with the streetscape, creating continuous depth by connecting the interior and exterior with the use of reinforced concrete eaves and a raised ceiling near the windows.
Rooftop design creates three-dimensional depth
The sky above Kichijoji is a different world of penthouses, department store rooftop plazas, futsal courts, rooftop parking lots, and other terraced areas not normally seen in a stroll around the city. The green roof terraces on the 9th and 10th floors are set back from the surrounding cityscape, creating a fresh three-dimensional depth. The fully-opening sliding sash doors allow the indoor and outdoor areas to be used contiguously, providing a special place for both the tenants and the public to enjoy the sky, wind and greenery.
Material design with depth
The use of richly textured materials such as scratched concrete, specially processed mirror glass and on-site polished terrazzo -- all hand-finished – yields a sense of depth. We sought to create a genuine sense of materiality that fits in with the town and its people, as opposed to the "shiny and new" that can be lost in the blink of an eye.
Team:
Landscape: Nikken SekkeiLtd
Construction Contractor: Maeda Corporation
Client: ARAI&CO.,LTD.
Photographer: SHINOZAWA Architectural Photo Office
Materials Used:
Glass Low-E double-glazed glass Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.
Facade Aluminum curtain wall LIXIL Corporation
Sanitary Fixtures Toilet, faucet, washbasin TOTO LTD.
Carpet Carpet Tiles TOLI Corporation
