- 2019-2023
- Tokyo
- Meguro
In the morning, I spend time without turning the lights on much.
I can feel the room’s brightness gradually increasing with natural light. The light that comes in varies subtly depending on the weather and the season. It’s a pleasant daily occurrence as the conditions of the room come together harmoniously. While it may seem trivial, for spaces we occupy daily, like our homes or workplaces, it holds considerable significance over time.
We were tasked with designing the communal spaces within the MEGURO MARC residential complex, and our first surprise was the location of the lounge. It was positioned near the centre of the ground floor, in an area entirely devoid of natural light – despite being a place that many people would likely use daily.
Therefore, the initial consideration in the design was whether we could somehow draw natural light into the room.
The lounge sits directly next to glass-fronted retail spaces, so we added windows in the wall between the lounge and the shops, allowing some of the natural light entering the shops to flow into the lounge. Soft light now filters in from each shop through high sidelights. With a slightly curved ceiling, this light spreads out, filling the room. At the far end of the tunnel-like space, there’s an atrium, allowing light to pour down from the upper floors like a skylight.
In the center of the lounge, a soft carpet is laid out, with furniture neatly arranged upon it. The hard terracotta-tiled floor surrounding this area occasionally transforms into furniture or even walls. The grey grout between the tiles sometimes serves as shelving rails or shelves themselves.
Because this is a space intended for daily, long-term use, we aimed to create architecture that serves as a durable vessel, allowing people to experience the delicate changes in light and the gentle sway of the breeze.
Category：Complex
Architects：DOMINO ARCHITECTS
Graphics：Mina Tabei
Project Design：Tone & Matter
Curtain Design：Nozomi Kume (Studio Onder de Linde)
Construction：Takenaka Corporation
Photographs：Gottingham
