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This project is planned to renovate one room in an eight-story apartment building that is 35 years old. The property is located in Tsubakimine New Town, surrounded by an abundance of green space and a sense of controlled scale under the Building and Green Space Agreement. This greenway is the backbone of the community, and the sight of residents coming and going and chatting on the benches has become an integral part of Tsubakimine’s heartfelt and intimate daily life. Longing for the relationship between the residents and the greenery, we decided to renovate a unit on the north side of the house with a clear view of the greenway.
In the design process, we eliminated all partitions except for the bathroom, and raised the floor to bring the relationship between the windows and the floor closer, so that the residents can feel their surroundings wherever they are in the house.
Then, I imagined specific activities related to the greenway, such as working while listening to the voice of people walking along the greenway and preparing meals while looking out the window at the greenery, and proceeded with the design with an animalistic sense while observing the environment on site. While the center of gravity of the houses in the neighborhood is on the south side of the building, the plan is to avoid an unbalanced center of gravity by squeezing a small space into the center of the building, so that life spreads out from north to south. In addition, since this plan is designed to be continuously updated in response to the changing conditions of the residents, the existing part of the building is allowed to participate in the space with a paraplegic approach in order to prevent the ex-post construction act from becoming a floating entity.
The construction was suspended when we finished demolition due to COVID-19. Standing on the empty site, I look out at the greenway, and as usual, there are people sitting on benches and birdsong can be heard in the trees. The bright green swayed in the breeze and when I looked back, I was surrounded by a dazzling light. I felt a strange sense of peace, as I felt naturally synchronized with society and the ecosystem. After all, there is definitely an environment there to enrich the soul. Nevertheless, maintaining the greenery in Tsubakimine has become an issue, and the importance of raising awareness of the importance of greenery is growing. Encouraging the relationship between residents and greenery from the architectural side is not only desirable for the residents’ lives, but also for the future of Tsubakimine.
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