Architectural Cases

In an innovative architectural endeavor, Kuma&Elsa has undertaken a remarkable renovation of the top two floors of an apartment complex in Fukuoka, Japan. This project artfully blends contemporary high-rise living with the cherished spatial characteristics of traditional Japanese homes. By introducing a 'house-in-a-house' concept, the design team successfully reimagined the living spaces, incorporating central 'huts' on each floor to evoke the feeling of an engawa, a traditional Japanese veranda. This distinctive approach not only fulfills the client's desire to recapture the essence of her childhood home but also establishes a fluid and continuous environment throughout the apartments, demonstrating a harmonious fusion of old and new.

Kuma&Elsa Transforms High-Rise with 'House-in-a-House' Concept in Fukuoka

In a groundbreaking architectural feat, the Kuma&Elsa studio recently unveiled the reimagined upper two levels of an apartment building nestled in Japan's Fukuoka prefecture. The visionary project, dubbed Nakano House, was born from a client's heartfelt wish to recreate the nostalgic ambiance of her traditional childhood dwelling, elevated 15 meters above ground within a modern concrete structure. Shohei Kuma and Elsa Escobedo, the creative minds behind the studio, ingeniously addressed this aspiration by inserting a central 'hut' on each floor. This innovative 'house-in-a-house' design carves out a perimeter space that gracefully opens onto balconies, effectively replicating the serene spatial quality of a traditional Japanese engawa.

The two distinct apartments, one for the client on the sixth floor and another for her son's family on the seventh, both feature these pivotal central volumes. Kuma and Escobedo explained that these 'huts' are not merely static elements; their boundaries are fluid, allowing for extension and connection between various areas, thus forming a continuous and adaptable living environment. Constructed with simple steel frames anchored to the concrete floor plates and braced by steel cables to the ceiling, these structures are both robust and aesthetically light. Translucent sliding screens, framed in timber, allow the bedrooms and living areas within the huts to seamlessly merge with the surrounding spaces, which house the bathrooms, kitchen, and dining areas. The wooden flooring within the huts extends outward, forming a distinct timber engawa-like perimeter with a unique zigzagging edge where it meets the concrete floor. Timber shutters and curtains offer privacy and light control for the windows, which feature sliding glass doors leading to southern-facing balconies. The fire-resistant plasterboard roofs of the huts, along with the roughly plastered bathroom walls, are intentionally left unfinished. This deliberate 'incompleteness,' as the architects describe it, emerged from conversations with the client and her family, aiming to introduce a temporal dimension to the new apartment, allowing it to acquire character and evolve over time, much like an older building would.

This renovation by Kuma&Elsa stands as a testament to thoughtful design that respects cultural heritage while embracing contemporary living. The project's emphasis on creating a fluid, adaptable environment that blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces, and its appreciation for the natural aging of materials, offers a refreshing perspective on modern residential architecture. It inspires us to consider how traditional architectural elements can be reinterpreted to enrich our built environment, fostering a deeper connection to place and memory, even within the confines of urban density. The "incompleteness" of certain finishes challenges the notion of immediate perfection, instead inviting a dynamic process of living and evolving with the space, imbuing it with a unique and personal narrative over time.

Unraveling Innovation: A Warehouse Reimagined for Modern Beauty and Beyond

Adaptive Transformation: From Industrial Warehouse to Versatile Hair Salon

Atelier Write, a Japanese design studio, has meticulously renovated a former warehouse in Tokyo's Kiyosumi Shirakawa district, creating a unique hair salon known as Unravel. This area has seen many similar industrial conversions into cafes and offices, making Unravel part of a growing trend of adaptive reuse. The design brief extended beyond a typical salon, requiring a space capable of hosting diverse events such as seminars and retail pop-ups, showcasing a forward-thinking approach to urban revitalization.

Innovative Design Principles: Reconfigurable Interiors for Diverse Functions

The core of Unravel's design philosophy lies in its extraordinary adaptability. Atelier Write integrated a system of suspended industrial rails from which mirrors, shelves, and curtains can be repositioned. This innovative setup allows the entire interior layout to be dynamically altered to suit various activities. Takuya Sakamoto, the founder of Atelier Write, emphasized that this system fosters a reciprocal relationship between the salon and the city, encouraging engagement beyond traditional salon services.

Flexible Furnishings: Mirrors and Worktops on the Move

Central to the salon's reconfigurability are three large, movable mirrors. These mirrors are ingeniously designed with integrated galvanized steel worktops and electrical sockets, making them fully functional as individual styling stations. They can be effortlessly moved to the center of the space to define a dedicated salon area or pushed to the periphery when an open layout is needed for events, demonstrating a seamless blend of form and function.

Material Harmony: Industrial Aesthetics Meet Soft Touches

The design thoughtfully balances the warehouse's robust industrial character with softer, more inviting elements. The structural framework of the warehouse has been painted a gentle pastel green, providing a subtle contrast to the metallic finishes. This is complemented by full-height curtains made from a pastel pink-toned mesh fabric, which can section off VIP and spa areas, adding a touch of elegance and privacy. Other furnishings, such as green steel shelving and cubic timber tables, maintain an industrial aesthetic while being easily movable.

Preserving Heritage: Architectural Elements and Future Expansion

The original large shutter opening of the warehouse has been preserved, now fitted with full-height glass panes and sheltered by a corrugated metal canopy. A green-painted steel staircase leads to a studio space on the first floor, where the raw, unfinished surfaces celebrate the building's industrial past. This design choice not only honors the building's history but also provides a distinct area for future creative endeavors.