港区Shirokane的一个以前用作理发师的小型零售空间的改造并没有发生业主的任何特别要求:除了该地点每年将被用作服装展厅几次。此外,该空间现有的墙壁和天花板是用石膏板做的,地面铺有油毡。为了从这个没有特殊功能或用途的平庸空间中发现更多的东西,我决定在现场逗留期间继续进行并重新设计这个空间。

The renovation of a small retail space previously used as a barber in Shirokane, Minato Ward did not occur with any particular request from the owner: except that the location will be used as an apparel showroom several times a year. In addition, the existing walls and ceiling of the space was made in plasterboard, with linoleum floor covering. In order to discover more from this banal space that has no particular feature or use, I decided to proceed and redesign the space while staying on site.

在我逗留期间,我注意到物业前面的街道–看似冷清的购物大道–事实上,由于附近有大型企业建筑和大使馆,白天和晚上都有很多人。然而,这栋建筑的内部却不知为何阴森森的,给空间带来了一种洞穴般的氛围。鉴于更新后的建筑将被有限的人使用,我试图积极地扩大我在现场感受到的空间固有的自然,并想象如何将空间变成一个像洞穴一样的地方–自然的,没有任何前提条件的使用。

What I noticed during my stay was that the street in front of the property—seemingly deserted shopping avenue—is, in fact, populous throughout days and nights, thanks to large corporate buildings and embassies nearby. Inside this building, however, was somehow gloomy, lending a cave-like ambience to the space. Given that the renewed architecture will be used by a limited number of people, I attempted to positively expand the nature inherent to the space as I felt it to be while on site, and imagined how the space can be turned into a place like a cave—natural as it is, and devoid of any preconditioned use.

因此,我试图通过尽可能地隐藏最实用的必需品–如开关和其他设施–来改变空间的质量,并简单地暴露出墙壁、地板和天花板的材料。前面的家具是由涂有环氧树脂的烘烤雪松制成的,发黑的墙面对整个空间有一种朦胧的反射,就像一个大的投影。仔细观察,你会发现烘烤过的雪松的粗糙纹理超出了表面,材料的印象随着距离和时间的推移而变化。其他材料也被选择和开发,以加强其多层次印象的特点。

Therefore, I attempted to change the quality of the space by hiding the most functional necessities —such as switches and other facilities—as much as possible, and simply exposing the materials of the wall, floor, and ceiling. The furniture on the front is made of baked cedar coated with epoxy resin, and the blackened wall surface has a dimly reflection of the entire space like a large cast of shadow. Looking closer, you will see the rough texture of the baked cedar beyond the surface, and the impression of the material changes according to the distance and time. Other materials were selected and developed to enhance their characteristics of multiple layers of impressions.

现有建筑的外墙只覆盖了一半的装饰砖,但它拥有独特而有吸引力的外观。所以我设计了一个方法,让砖块保持原样,同时也让外墙在一段时间内达到新的面貌。在这个重新设计的过程中,砖块的装饰功能被重新考虑,并被赋予了新的角色,即作为新的表面层的基础,建立在上面。加固的水泥板被切割成精确的尺寸:每一块都附着在现有的砖块上。因为切割后的水泥板反映了底层砖的不均匀性,而且墙体表面略有波浪。原有的砖块在开放的缝隙中可见,使表面具有半立体的深度感。这一尝试探索了新的表面设计的可能性,赋予其另一种视角,并使装饰材料脱离其原有的功能。

The facade of the existing building was covered only halfway with decorative bricks, but it possessed an unique and attractive look. So I devised a way to leave the bricks as they are, and also to attain the facade with the new look t the some time. In this the process of redesign, the decorative function of the bricks was reconsidered and given a new role as a foundation of the new surface layer built on top. The reinforced cement board is cut to the exact size: each piece attached on top of the existing brick. Because the cut cement board reflects the unevenness of the underlying brick, and the wall surface is slightly wavy. The original bricks are visible in the open gap, giving the surface a semi-stereoscopic sense of depth. The attempt explores the possibility of a new surface design by giving it another perspective and detaching the decorative material from its original function.

这个改造项目让我想起了我和我的朋友们在童年时建造的秘密游戏场。一个只有我们自己知道、没有预设用途的空间可以成为乐趣的源泉,并开启新的意识,而不像公共空间那样制约人们的行为。我期待着看到这个 “无用空间 “的意外发展。

The renovation project reminded me of the secret play field that my friends and I constructed in our childhood. A space that is known only to us and has no preconditioned use could become a source for fun and opens up new awareness unlike public spaces that condition people’s behaviour. I look forward to seeing the unexpected development of this “space of no use”.

Architects: Kosaku Matsumoto
Area: 25 m²
Year: 2018
Photographs: Nobutada OMOTE
Manufacturers: AGC, Daiko, Toto, Acor, Nakamura Paint Industry, TAKEMURA INDUSTRY
City:Tokyo
Country:Japan