Hasta La Ideas

Japanese firm Takeshi Yamagata Architects have squeezed four  buildings containing nine apartments onto a small suburban site in Tokyo.

Apartment in Kamitakada sits on a 300 square-metre site with apartments ranging from thirty to sixty square metres.

Curved, perforated steel fences meander across the site to enclose a private garden and entrance for each flat.

The apartment blocks are a steel-frame construction and range from two to four storeys.

Here’s some more from the architects:

Apartment in crowded area of Tokyo

This is a rental apartment for single and young couple in Tokyo.

The site is in the residential area where the atmosphere of downtown remains.

A lot of old wooden houses have been overcrowded in the surrounding.

In crowded area of Tokyo, we planned the bright and comfortable apartment where charm of living in downtown is felt.

Open atmosphere like private house

This building is 4 stories high, and is composed of the first floor part build on a full site and the upper floor part divided into four houses.

There are 9 units, from 30 sq m to 60 sq m. In the first floor, the curved walls divide the full site into each units including outside space.

The units have private approach and garden. Although each unit is very compact, but can get bright and open atmosphere like private house.

The curved wall in the garden is made from the steel fence, and shows a clear boundary, yet very open. So, all of the private gardens are independent space, but are also slightly connected to a large garden network.

By this reason, the first floor has open and comfortable space compared with general apartment.

In the upper floor, the building is separated into four houses, accordingly light and the wind reach the garden ground.

From the top floor, we can look over the surrounding towns, and enjoy the atmosphere of downtown.

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Our attempt is to create living spaces with new charm by utilizing the typical living environment in Tokyo.

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Combined structure

The structure is a steel-frame building.

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Four simple box-shaped houses transmit an earthquake power to the outdoor wall through a horizontal brace in the second floor level.

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The basics of structure that cropped out outdoors are united and, as a whole, become one stable building.

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See also:

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Showcasing over 70 international designers, the current exhibit “Post Fossil: Excavating 21st Century Creation” at Tokyo museum 21_21 Design Sight is the upshot of esteemed Dutch trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort‘s examination of the future of design in all of its constituent parts. The content spans techniques, shapes, materials, colors and themes with 140 pieces demonstrating a new way of thinking—using the past to reinvent the future.

The exhibition includes an array of resourcefully creative works, many fusing nature with design like Atelier NL’s “Drawn From Clay” pottery, Joris Laarman’s “Bone Chair” and Peter Marigold‘s man-made chess board. Each artist answers serious questions about meaningful consumption, how to break free of old paradigms and whether less really is more.

Edelkoort selected designers who defy the trend of designing for design’s sake and instead create with “unfettered freedom” as they search for new methods and, arguably more importantly, new tools to design with.

Referencing the Arte Povera movement of the ’60s, Edelkoort predicts the ideas will see a resurgence due to shifts in economics and thinking about sustainability. Tokyo’s 21_21 Design Sight makes the perfect venue to showcase these works as a museum focused on generating design that “sees clearly what is ahead.”

“Post Fossil: Excavating 21st Century Creation” runs through 27 June 2010, check out Tokyo Art Beat for full details.

Une performance live du japonais Hifana dans le cadre de la campagne Nike Free Run +. Un concept décalé de l’agence Wieden Kennedy, car ces chaussures flexibles sont directement reliées au Macbook afin de produire de la musique. A découvrir en vidéo dans la suite.

Previously on Fubiz

• Nike Sister One
• Tokyo / Glow
• Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II

Tokyo studio Shuichiro Yoshida Architects have completed a tall narrow toilet block in Chikusei City, Japan.   (more…)

Having already launched a successful version for Tokyo, Art Beat recently created the NYAB iPhone app, an informative application that keeps New Yorkers current on all of the cultural happenings going on around the city.

The simple interface organizes events by location, popularity, type of medium or schedule. Ideal for residents and visitors alike, the Art Beat app truly allows users to tailor their interests and make the most of their time.

Featuring an average of 600 Art Beat-approved events, the app includes exhibitions big and small. For those just seeking some culture close by, it will even sort the events by closest proximity.

NYAB ($1) and TAB ($2) iPhone and iTouch apps are available from iTunes.