Architecture Review: Be-fun design: cycling house

Saturday 26 November 2011

Be-fun design: cycling house

'cycling house' by be-fun design in sumida, tokyo, japan
all images courtesy be-fun design
image © masaya yoshimura

japanese architects be-fun design has completed 'cycling house', an apartment building in
the downtown area of sumida, tokyo, japan. situated on a 70 m2 flagpole-shaped plot along
the sumida river bank, the design features an alley-like entrance that creates a private entranceway
for the inhabitants.

street view
image © masaya yoshimura

referencing the urban infrastructure of the region, the curvilinear passageway is an extension
of the city's alleys which draws the approach to the centre of the two-storey building.
a short elevation is visible from the street which bends in on itself to generate a 2 meter-wide
chasm between itself and an adjacent structure. by utilizing rounded out corners, the exterior surface
is visually extended in a continuous sweep.

views of alleyway entrance
images © masaya yoshimura

image © masaya yoshimura
accommodating eight independent units with separate entrances, the layout of the interior
fans out from the central entry point. the design takes advantage of every square footage available,
creating narrow but multi-level apartments within. while the building's volume and overall height
allows for two-storeys, partial floor slabs and loft platforms placed at varying levels result in small,
separated areas and nooks. the design balances out the tight layout with generous vertical voids,
visually extending the sense of space through a singular white finish.