Dezeen Magazine

Yuichi Yoshida reorganises Tokyo apartment to create temporary accommodation

Dabs of plaster pattern the raw concrete surfaces in this Tokyo bedsit partially renovated by local architects Yuichi Yoshida & Associates as a short-term living space (+ slideshow).

Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates

Yuichi Yoshida & Associates modified the 47.55-square-metre apartment to create temporary living space for a client who plans to resell or rent the flat after a period of five to 10 years.

The architects rearranged the open-plan space to section off a bedroom while maintaining a large living area, in a project named Tsukiji Room H.

Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates

The client hopes that the subdivision of the apartment, which allows it to be used as both a residence and work space, will also help to increase the resale value.

The Tokyo-based office made minimal adjustments to make the space suitable for day-to-day living – refurbishing a bathroom, kitchen and bedroom – while maintaining a large open space, with unfinished areas, that can be used for a variety of purposes.

Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates

A wooden box built in the centre of the living space encloses the property's only bedroom, and creates a narrow alcove for a galley kitchen to one side and an entrance hall to the other.

Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates

Wooden doors slide back to reveal a bed on a platform of pigeonhole-style storage drawers. The light timber panels conceal the space during the day.

A ledge above the runners for the sliding door mechanism is used as an additional display and storage area.

Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates

Behind the bedroom a compact bathroom has white painted walls, a bare concrete floor and white fittings.

Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates

The flooring transitions from concrete in the functional rooms of the apartment to a light patterned floor in the living area, made up of squares of timber running in opposing directions.

Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates

Plaster boards have been fitted around the walls of the living space, leaving a border of raw concrete between the tops of the panels and the ceiling.

Here, the exposed concrete is pocked with plaster corrections, and metal pipework spans the concrete slab ceiling.

Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates

A hammock is strung from the ceiling on metal hooks by a set of glazed doors that opens onto a terrace.

Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates

At the opposite end of the living space, a stretch of wooden cabinets lines the narrow kitchen, which has stainless steel surfaces and high-level shelving units suspended from the concrete ceiling on tubular metal rods.

Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates

One of two entrance points is located beyond a utility space at the end of the kitchen, while the main doorway to the flat is by the bathroom.

Photography is by Katsumi Hirabayashi.


Project credits:

Architects: Yuichi Yoshida & Associates
Architect-in-charge: Yuichi Yoshida, Satoru Ando
Produce: Suma-Saga-Fudosan Inc.

Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates
Floor plan – click for larger image
Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates
Section one – click for larger image
Tsukiji Room H by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates
Section two – click for larger image