Hasta La Ideas

A concrete tunnel slices through the base of this Tokyo house by Japanese architect Makiko Tsukada, creating a round hole in the facade that reveals the underside of a staircase (+ slideshow).

Makiko Tsukada designed Tunnel House for a site facing a T-junction, so her concept was to produce a form that appears as a continuation of the road. The result is a curving container that cuts through the entire ground floor.

“Our design intention is to provide a visual extension of the street on the site so that it creates a virtual crossroads,” said Tsukada.

The rest of the house is planned around the tunnel, creating a series of unusual features that include a floating steel floor, a dining table beneath a staircase, a triple-height courtyard and a bedroom without a ceiling.

The architect categorises these spaces as uchi, which means “in the tunnel”, and soto, which means “out of the tunnel”.

“One of the visitors’ comments was that ‘tunnel-uchi’ and ‘tunnel-soto’ betray one’s sense of space, as one feels like being outside while actually being inside the house,” she explained.

A glazed wall exposes the full outline of the tunnel from the house’s entrance. Inside, the structure is revealed to be wrapping around a pair of lidless boxes that contain the main bedroom and bathroom.

“From the bedroom box, one can see the view of the entire ‘tunnel-uchi’ space as if seeing an exterior view from a rooftop,” said Tsukada.

Two double-height spaces behind the curving concrete accommodate a small study and a toilet. Glass doors lead out from spaces into the simple courtyard, which is sandwiched in between.

A staircase leads up onto the top of the tunnel, which doubles as a mezzanine walkway. Residents can then access a guest bedroom and dining room, located on the suspended steel floor that provides the uppermost storey.

The dining table sits over the stairwell and has a mirrored underside that creates upside-down reflections.

Photography is by Shinkenchiku-sha.

Read on for a project description from Makiko Tsukada:

Tunnel House

The site is at the end of a T-junction. Our design intention is to provide a visual extension of the street on the site so that it creates a virtual cross road. The interior space and the exterior space are connected by carving out a part of the volume along the extended axis of the street. The tunnel-like configuration is intended to activate both “uchi” (in the tunnel) and “soto” (out of the tunnel) spaces.

The open side of the quarter cylinder is enclosed by glass. The “tunnel-uchi” comprises two small boxes containing a bedroom and a bathroom respectively. The bedroom is enclosed by screen-like partitions and its ceiling is open. From the bedroom box, one can see the view of the entire “tunnel-uchi” space from there as if seeing an exterior view from a rooftop.

The opening at the side of the tunnel is connected to the “tunnel-soto” space. “Tunnel-soto” space is an interior space where the light that is cascading down along the tunnel surface from the oblong top light and the light coming down from the courtyard intersect each other three-dimensionally.

When going up the stairs, one can see the entire “tunnel-soto” space. From the gap of the floating steel floor, one can see the reflected image of “tunnel-soto” space on the mirrored surface on the rear side of the tabletop on the second floor. The floating steel floor and the super-thin 6mm thick table give the space a surreal atmosphere of floating and expansion, while creating a sharp contrast with the immense volume of the tunnel.

One of the visitors’ comments was that “tunnel-uchi” space and “tunnel-soto” spaces betray one’s sense of space, as one feels like being outside while actually being inside the house. By experiencing repeated reversals of the interior and the exterior spaces (betrayed feelings), one probably can feel a sense of expansion and openness in this tunnel house.

Location: Suginami-ku, Tokyo
Structure: Reinforced Concrete and Steel
Principal Use: Residence, Office
Site Area: 82.39m2
Total Floor Area: 87.17m2 (43.65m2/1F, 43.52m2/2F)
Structural Engineer: Taizen Nieda and Taizo Komatsu

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Tokyo house by Makiko Tsukada appeared first on Dezeen.

A mysterious dark tunnel leads into the boardroom of these offices in London by architects Studio Octopi (+ slideshow).

As the UK headquarters for advertising agency 18 Feet & Rising, the offices were designed with a utilitarian aesthetic that can easily be replaced in a few years as the company grows.

Studio Octopi were asked to incorporate four qualities into the space; emergence, vortex, action and illusion. “Inspired by the client’s four words, the project took on a theatrical approach,” architect Chris Romer-Lee told Dezeen. “Surprise, anticipation, unease, fear and relief were all discussed in connection to the client’s journey from arriving in the agency to getting into the boardroom.”

The architects divided the office into three zones – designated for working, socialising and pitching – and differentiated them using low plywood screens and woven flooring with different patterns.

The dark-stained plywood tunnel is the largest installation in the space. With a tapered volume, it sticks out like a large funnel to announce the zone where client presentations take place.

“The tunnel acts as a cleansing device. All preconceptions of the agency are wiped before entering the boardroom,” explained Romer-Lee.

Outside the boardroom, the workspaces are arranged in a curved strip that stretches from the entrance to the far wall. The steel-framed desks were designed by Studio Octopi last year and each one integrates power sockets and a lamp.

A kitchen and cafe area for staff is positioned at the centre of the curve, while informal areas for meetings or relaxing wrap around the perimeter as a series of window seats.

Romer-Lee runs Studio Octopi alongside co-director James Lowe. They also recently completed a courtyard house in the south-west of England. See more design by Studio Octopi.

Dezeen columnist Sam Jacob discussed offices designed for creative agencies in this week’s Opinion piece, saying that “offices designed as fun palaces are fundamentally sinister”. See more creative office interiors on Dezeen.

Photography is by Petr Krejčí.

Here’s a project description from Studio Octopi:

After designing 18 Feet & Rising’s work desks, Studio Octopi were commissioned to work on the fit-out of their new 5,300sqft offices in central London.

Appointment to completion of the fit-out was only a period of two months which was quicker than the time it took to design and build the 18 Feet & Rising work desks. To achieve this timeframe the client transferred full creative control to Studio Octopi. Only a brief four words were issued by the client; emergence, vortex, action and illusion.

CEO, Jonathan Trimble stated that all final approval decisions were granted to Studio Octopi. 18 Feet would collaborate as equal creative partner but not as client. It was agreed that the project would emerge on site.

We identified three principle zones within the agency: work, socialise and pitch. Each zone was then supported by a secondary tier of: read, make and plan. The zones were defined by black stained plywood walls and woven vinyl flooring. These act as theatrical devices in function and appearance. As with theatre the design enhances the presence and immediacy of the experience.

The work desks were arranged within a cog form. On entering the agency, the end of the cog disappears out of view. It is difficult to perceive the space denoted as a work zone, there is an illusionary aspect to the design. Power and data was taken off the existing overhead supply and distributed to the desks throughout the low plywood walls. Break out spaces are scattered to the perimeter provide views across neighbouring buildings. To the inside of the cog, the kitchen opens onto a central café seating area. There is no reception; the café area fulfils this role.

Above: floor plan – click for larger image

Joining the two units is a small opening. Views through the opening reveal the tunnel, the entrance to the boardroom. Approaching the entrance to the tunnel reveals more theatrics. The tunnel walls and sloping soffit are lined in ply however the supporting timber structure is visible on the other side. The tunnel reduces in height and width over its 7m length. The strong light at the end of the tunnel picks out the plywood grain and woven vinyl flooring. Within the boardroom the plywood stained walls form a backdrop for the imposing views of the Post Office Tower.

The client embraced the temporary appearance of utilitarian construction materials. As London’s fastest growing independent ad agency, it’s likely the design will be replaced within a few years. On this basis the fit-out is surprising, a little unnerving, and in places whimsical.

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by Studio Octopi appeared first on Dezeen.

Design practice 24° Studio linked together hundreds of hollow paper stars to line a tunnel and stairway in Santorini, Greece.

The installation, called Daphne, has been placed on the path up to the ruins of Kasteli castle in Pyrgos.

Starting from a few panels at the foot of the stairs, the tunnel grows up and around until it encloses the space.

In the evening the tunnel is lit up by LED lights which glow through the paper.

The tunnel is part of the Santorini Biennale of Arts, which continues until 30th September 2012.

See all our stories about paper »

Here’s some more text from the designers:

Daphne is a site-specific installation situated within the tunnelled stairway that interplays with the notion of concealing and revealing the ancient interior surfaces of the tunnel leading to the peak of Pyrgos. Made entirely of self-supporting paper panels, Daphne creates an enclosure that intervenes the visitors’ perception of the existing conditions as a container of conglomerated memory as the paper panels age and take their shape accordingly to the local condition. The installation is part of Santorini Biennale of Arts that will take place until September 30, 2012.

A village is a vessel of memory, and reaching to the highest peak at Pyrgos from the main village square is, therefore, an excursion to its past memory where every surface contains a history. During the excursion to the Kasteli, visitors will have to encounter a tunnel stairway that leads to the destination. The history of the tunnel may be unknown to visitors and the space of the tunnel may seem insignificant to the passers by at first.

Daphne makes a mundane moment of procession through this enclosed space into highly charged space that will celebrate the coexistence of past, present and future. A trace of Daphne will appear at the entrance of the tunnel. Starting from a few panels at the foot of the stairs, it will grow its number and encapsulates the interior surface of the tunnel, only maintaining its key element to wrap the space and juxtapose the “past” with the “present” intervention. The interior illumination will accentuate the space from dusk to dawn that can be of an emphasis on how the existing materiality can coexist with new materiality to suggest uncanny, yet, mesmerising possibility.

Further impact of environmental condition will also play an important role in this installation. The wind and humidity condition as well as people’s interactions during the endurance of Santorini Biennale will affect the ageing of the material. This inevitable and also unpredictable factor of the installation and this process will illustrate how the transformation of textural and colour quality can bring phenomenal conditions of time and space. These latent effects of material expressing this ephemeral condition will become a key factor, in which the “past”, “present” and “future” all will be contained.

24° Studio is a multidisciplinary practice established in 2008 by Fumio Hirakawa and Marina Topunova. We dedicate our investigation in working at the intersection of architecture, technology and environment. It is in our inherence to collaborate with a vast network of experts to deliver new solutions to our clients and audiences in realising their aspirations. With ever changing global movements bringing us limitless inspirations, 24° Studio believes that the process of integrating multiple perspectives will lead to innovative result, thus redefining the connection between our body and our surroundings.

Project Title: Daphne
Type: Installation
Location: Pyrgos, Santorini, Greece
Completion Date: July 2012
Materials: Watercolor Paper String
Light Source: LED
Area: 25m2 /82sf
Design: 24° Studio (Fumio Hirakawa + Marina Topunova)
Client: Santorini Biennale of Arts Organising Committee

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24° Studio appeared first on Dezeen.

Slideshow: a select number of garments at this fashion store in Osaka are presented inside a white cage-like tunnel.

The Ciel Bleu store was designed by Japanese interior designer Noriyuki Otsuka and also features a metallic gold floor and five-metre-high ceilings.

The oval tunnel is positioned slightly off-centre inside the shop and is surrounded by very little other furniture.

Four rows of acrylic boxes are mounted onto an illuminated rear wall to create shelves for displaying shoes.

You can see a selection of projects featuring tunnels in our recent special feature.

Photography is by Hiroyuki Hirai.

The following text is from Noriyuki Otsuka:

A white space in brilliant colors

This shop was designed for a retail complex called LUCUA, which was built as part of the redevelopment of the Umeda area in Osaka.

It is a luxurious architectural space of about 278m2 with a ceiling 5m high. When approaching the design I simultaneously embraced the two opposing notions of the overall concept as well as the detailed design of the space.

I was conscious that if I based my design on the functional requirements of the space such as the number of products that could be housed, I would end up with an interior resembling a fashion retail megastore.

The design that I proposed was an interior space which incorporated another architectural space within it.

This interior space was a cylinder made with a structurally self-supporting mesh. Because of the size of the feature I wanted to avoid integrating it too much with the surrounding space, so deliberately aligned it off center from the axis of the building.

This layout gives the space a sense of gravity. I also included custom-made hanging light fittings in my plan for the cylinder in order to make the interior space the central focus of the design.

The composer Toru Takemitsu expressed music with colors. In the same way, I wanted to express a white space using brilliant colors. That is to say, I wanted to use the density of the design to fill the space in the same way as music notes fill a space. This density is not expressed through an elaborate or gimmicky design; rather it is expressed as a fine balance of musical notes.

This sense of balance diffuses throughout the space in the same way that a drop of watercolor paint causes the surface of water in a jar to ripple outwards.

The white space is infused with color but maintains a sense of balance, and the specially-made gold metallic flooring highlights the form of every object in the space. It is in this that the originality and elegance of the shop is expressed.

The client had a very good understanding of design, and it was largely thanks to this that t was possible to design a space to such a high degree of perfection.

Italian architects 3S Studio have converted a former railway tunnel between two north Italian towns into an enclosed pedestrian passageway.

Steel beams arch around the inside of the Public Promenade and are covered with Corten steel panels that screen the rougher surfaces of the walls behind.

Temporary exhibitions can take place inside the tunnel, in the form of lighting and video projections.

At the eastern end, the passageway emerges onto the seafront, where stepped decking creates an informal seating area.

Other reused tunnels we’ve featured on Dezeen include a renovated fortress and a secret mirrored passageway.

Photography is by Daniele Voarino.

The text below is from 3S Studio:

Public Promenade – Albisola Superiore – Italy

Rehabilitating an inoperative railway through environmentally aware means, thereby transforming this area into a promenade that adheres to its area’s environmental constraints.

This project would focus on the safety of the tunnel works on the reef slope, including hydraulics.

The project encompasses the entire stretch of the retired railroad and its fixtures between Albissola and Celle Ligure (SV) , transforming it into an environmentally accentuated pedestrian promenade. The project focalises the nature pathes, view points, a new overhang walkway made by corten steel and wood, The restoration of the railway tunnel will function as a “container” for visionary art exhibitions and artistic installations.

Brief Reflection:

“We designed this urban promenade without altering the identity of the area that for a strange paradox was maintained in a state of semi-abandoned for 40 years. The general objectives of the design on to the general issues were:
• Giving continuity to the pedestrian paths
• Increase the usability of the coastline
• Reversibility of the interventions
• Materials with low environmental impact
• Increase in public parks and redevelopment of the existing
• Development of tourism compatible ”

The cost per square meter (true yardstick of public space projects) was very low in the face of complex interventions (including structural works, and on the sea) subject to constraint, the final high quality environment.

This is the result of setting design strategies that have always focused on the real change of boundary conditions, activation of the virtuous and the overall vision.

The materials commonly used, but simple “safe”, are confirmation of what you have preferred the complexity / articulation of space and the real usability of the new structures with respect to the richness of the decoration and trim. You are so obtained important results in terms of:
– Extension of the project area
– Achievement of results-not originally anticipated impact on economic activity and tourism-environmental rehabilitation
– Construction of new routes (like the gallery, the first inaccessible).

All results that integrated and exceeded the objectives initially set by the entities involved in the process.

Client: Albisola Superiore (SV)
Project: 3S studio associated architects
with voarino associated Savona (Italy)

Facilities Project: CAIRO Cooperative Architects And Engineers, Reggio Emilia (Italy)
Geological Reports: Geoteam, Savona (Italy)
Hydraulic Relations: Studio Ing Dot A. From The Court, Savona (Italy)

Start And Delivery Works Date: 2007/2011
Delivery: July 2011
Amount Of Works: € 1,964,511.11
Average Cost Square Meter: 350 Euros