Image courtesy of MAMM DESIGN 

Renovation in Sagami-Ono

This is a renovation project of an apartment unit in a 30-years-old building. It’s for a family of 3 ladies, a mother and 2 daughters. Its wide frontage toward south was very attractive, but the existing plan was stereotypical one at the time of its completion in Japan, so the whole unit could not benefit from the wide frontage.

Image courtesy of MAMM DESIGN 

Especially, the existing kitchen was closed and separated from other part, and apparently, it was not an ideal situation for the client who wants to enjoy scenery of the wide frontage and to communicate with daughters. The first step was to remove most of existing partitions, except bathroom, to create one big space. The next was to insert three gently-curved walls, which are not from floor to ceiling but have 20 cm clearance from ceiling.

Image courtesy of MAMM DESIGN 

The walls create a variety of spaces for each family keeping privacy. At the same time, openings on the walls connects the spaces and the family each other. Though the 3 walls cannot move, the separation and the connection are not static. Relationships between spaces and family are being changed every moment by motion of 3 ladies. At the night, ceiling reflecting lights from the top of the walls also indicate characteristics of the space.

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