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Architects: 1100 Architect
- Area: 650 m²
- Year: 2003
Text description provided by the architects. The Naha project includes a gallery, retail space, partially submerged parking lot, and three rental apartments that each occupies an entire floor. The varied programs are unified by a consistent focus on the permeable interface of interior and exterior. Transparent, translucent, or opaque glass is used depending on the amount of privacy desired. Clear glass showcases the gallery and retail space and opens up the living and dining areas of the apartments, whereas translucent and opaque glass envelop the apartment bedrooms and bathrooms.
The east and west walls are solid cast concrete. Light enters through small, deep windows placed along the stairwell on the east side and the apartment kitchens on the west. This design feature provides dramatic lighting effects without sacrificing a private, enclosed feeling. Cast concrete is a durable, affordable and widely used material in Okinawa. An engaging contradiction is achieved as channels cut out along the edges of these massive walls and floors evoke a lightweight appearance.
