You Must Own a Motorcycle to Live in This Tokyo Housing Complex

Architizer News

You Must Own a Motorcycle to Live in This Tokyo Housing Complex

June 12, 2012

We wrote last month about NL Architects’ conceptual bike pavilion currently being planned for a resort in southern China, and how its peculiar form enables cyclists to ride the roof of the structure. Yesterday, we posted about pro skater Phillipp Schuster’s funky skatepark chalet, in which vintage furniture and concrete ramps co-exist and mingle in Schuster’s living room. In keeping with the theme, there’s the NE Apartment complex in Tokyo that’s specifically geared to one particular demographic: motorcycle enthusiasts.

Designed by Akiyoshi Takagi architects, the sleek, Purist-like volume wraps around an intimate central courtyard that draws in light and acts as a common space for residents. Eight small garages, each corresponding to one of the building’s eight units, are arrayed along the edge of the oval space, which is wide enough for cyclists to rotate their hogs. Continue.

The architects’ wanted to articulate a smooth topological (non)transition from the street to each of the individual apartments. Accordingly, concrete is applied throughout the interiors, moving from the street corner, through the courtyard and garage, and up the building’s curving walls. The splined walls, curious, yet endearing in their disposition (see model at bottom), are arranged in a radiating pattern that flows out of the central space, branching out at right angles before widening to “give the impression of a more spacious environment.”