An interplay of several green triangles on a steel structure articulates the intermediate liminal spaces between the interior and exterior of the building. Architects delivered a three-story office and retail complex in the Minami Aoyama district of Tokyo in 2015.
The project is located on a hilly 750 square meter site bordered by streets to the west, east and north, the last of which is a private driveway integrated into the overall design. The design also responds to the client’s request to create an “urban oasis” in the heart of the city.
Project Name-GREEN TRIANGLE/AOYAMA346
Studio Name-RYUICHI SASAKI / SASAKI ARCHITECTURE
Project size- 1136m2
Site size – 751 m2
Completion date- 2014
Building levels – 3
Location-Minato City, Tokyo, Japan
Photographer- KOICHI TORIMURA, ryota atarashi
The design primarily exploits these site conditions by referencing the geometry of the triangles, which vary in materiality, hue and density as they progress from the exterior to the interior. A two-story triangular void features hanging plants, incorporating greenery into the building and providing a visual connection to the adjacent main street through its glass curtain wall.
The retail and restaurant spaces are pierced by semi-open triangular balconies around the corners of the building. A triangular bridge connects the two areas of the complex, from which exposed beams intersect on the exterior to juxtapose the building with the landscape elements.
“In particular, the linear arrangement of mirrored stainless steel, LED light, flexible panels and glass in the lobby presents an infinite play of angular shapes, where natural light spills into the many vertical gaps and bounces off the striated and reflective materials,” These elements, combined with the surrounding landscape, are projected onto the glossy tiles of the façade and the glass curtain walls, as well as the mirror-effect stainless steel that covers the interior corridor, reinforcing the idea of interpenetration.
PROJECT INFO
Architectural Team: Ryuichi Sasaki, Rieko Okumura, Mikio Sasaki, Kiyoshi Iwabuchi, Miwa Takeuchi, Mieko Watanabe, Akemi Nozawa, Anna Kwapień / SASAKI ARCHITECTURE
Structure Engineering: OZ.An + Rhythm Design
Landscape Design: Takeshi Matsuo + Takeshi Mita /PLAT design
Graphic Design: Ryuichi Nambu /Nambu Design + Yoshinari Takahashi
Lighting Design: Kazuhiro Kawamura/ Sola Associates
Mechanical & Electrical Engineering: Yuko Sakurai / Hezeraf
Facade Engineering: STANDARD
CG: STACK STUDIO + SASAKI ARCHITECTURE
PM: N ASSET TOKYO
Client: KIKUMOTO
Photography : Koichi Torimura, Ryota Atarashi,Ryuichi Sasaki
Site Area: 751.71 SQM
Building Area: 1136.75 SQM
Structure: Steel Structure 3 Stories
Location: Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Completion: Spring 2014
Awards, Prize
2A Asia Architecture Awards 2015 (Asia)
JCD International Design Awards 2015 (Japan)
