Wooden Forest Apartment / Ikeda Yukie Ono Toshiharu Architects

Wooden Forest Apartment / Ikeda Yukie Ono Toshiharu Architects - Windows, Facade, HandrailWooden Forest Apartment / Ikeda Yukie Ono Toshiharu Architects - Image 3 of 53Wooden Forest Apartment / Ikeda Yukie Ono Toshiharu Architects - Image 4 of 53Wooden Forest Apartment / Ikeda Yukie Ono Toshiharu Architects - WindowsWooden Forest Apartment / Ikeda Yukie Ono Toshiharu Architects - More Images+ 48

Nakano, Japan

Text description provided by the architects. Originally, the second floor was an old style Japanese lodging with several walls dividing the floor into tiny rooms. Since then, numerous renovations and extensions were carried out. Immediately prior to our joining the project, the second floor was used as a part of family house - a bit chaotic and still with a scattering of columns, remnants of the old walls.

Wooden Forest Apartment / Ikeda Yukie Ono Toshiharu Architects - Windows, Facade, Handrail

In order to comply with Japanese law, any changes to the structure of a wooden house situated in a fire protection area would require approval and take considerable time. The client was interested in a quicker turn-around and therefore we could not remove the all-too-many forest-like columns.

Wooden Forest Apartment / Ikeda Yukie Ono Toshiharu Architects - Windows, Facade

The remaining structures other than columns weren’t suitable to be seen. We started by wrapping them which allowed for the forest-like columns to stand out beautifully.

Wooden Forest Apartment / Ikeda Yukie Ono Toshiharu Architects - Image 4 of 53

To counteract the ‘busy-ness’ created the columns, we placed between them movable boxes which function both as storage and partition.

In order to minimize the other elements, we utilized white wrapping. This ultimately resulted in forest-like columns as colours seemingly floating in space.

Wooden Forest Apartment / Ikeda Yukie Ono Toshiharu Architects - Chair, Column

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Project location

Address:Nakano, Tokyo, Japan

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About this office
Cite: "Wooden Forest Apartment / Ikeda Yukie Ono Toshiharu Architects" 20 Sep 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/35569/wooden-forest-apartment-ikeda-yukie-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

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