Just five minutes from Oimachi Station, a 73-year-old wooden house has been reimagined as a contemporary workspace, its renovation guided by clarity, preservation, and flexibility. Nestled within a dense cluster of postwar wooden buildings, hidden behind the area’s prominent commercial blocks and mid-rise offices, this former residence once belonged to the quieter fabric of the city. Today, it emerges with a new identity as an office space that is both functional and rich in character.
Project Name: Ōimachi House
Studio Name: Roovice
Project Location: Shinagawa City, Tokyo, Japan
Completion Year: 2024
Gross Built Area (m2/ ft2): 75.07㎡
Photo Credits: Akira Nakamura
The building’s entrance was redesigned with a new door and exterior finish, creating a crisp surface ready for signage that clearly signals its commercial purpose. Inside the doorway, a newly added partition introduces both visual and spatial separation between the entryway and the main work area, lending the privacy essential for client visits and meetings. A wall-mounted coat rack and shelving system soften the mood here, offering an informal alternative to standard office storage solutions.
Throughout the first floor, the former faux-wood PVC flooring has been entirely replaced with a durable grey surface. A striking line of orange tiles cuts through the space, running from the entrance toward the rear, continuing through the toilet area and leading to the unit bath. Overhead, a matching strip of ceiling panels with integrated downlights mirrors this path, lending subtle orientation and rhythm to the open floor plan.
In the spot once occupied by a tatami room, a compact stainless-steel kitchen now stands. Designed for versatility, it features a movable island and plug-in IH cooktop, enabling easy adaptation for team lunches, workshops, or more casual gatherings. Electrical outlets have been strategically placed throughout the space to support anticipated desk and equipment layouts. Curtain rails discreetly integrated into the walls allow for flexible privacy control while concealing the original aluminum window sashes.
Upstairs, the second floor has been completely opened up by removing the ceiling and non-structural partitions. The exposed roof structure reveals the original timber framework, while new insulation and a rebuilt roof ensure comfort and energy efficiency without compromising the sense of vertical openness. A symbolic ornament from the original jōtōshiki (ridgepole-raising ceremony) has been preserved, retaining a small but significant historical touch. The design favors quiet simplicity over excessive detail, with reused doors, soft wall tones, and a single orange pendant light setting the atmosphere.
The renovation carefully balances the interplay between new interventions and the building’s original features. While the floors on both levels and the roof have been reconstructed, remnants of former ceilings and wall finishes remain visible alongside the new surfaces. This layered duality becomes a guiding design principle, where the exposed “underside” of new architecture gently alludes to the building’s past.
By defining new functions without erasing the building’s inherited character, the Oimachi Office demonstrates how Tokyo’s aging wooden houses can continue to find purpose in today’s urban fabric—especially in neighborhoods where high-rise towers and human-scale structures coexist in close proximity.
