Zig-Zag apartment

Tokyo, Japan

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Zig-Zag apartment

Tokyo, Japan

Firm

OID architects

Type

Residential › Apartment

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2024

SIZE

5000 sqft - 10,000 sqft

"Prototype Station-Front Apartment Building Solves Dilemma between Convenience and Privacy with zig zag-shaped Balcony"

The planned site for this project is along a main thoroughfare leading from Tokyo’s city center to the suburbs.
The building is located right in front of Ogi-Ohashi Station on the Toneri Liner line, which runs on an elevated track above the road.

Apartments located next to train stations offer great convenience,
but the downside is that the people who live in them can be seen from the station platform and from inside trains.

We aimed to solve the issue of privacy by designing the balconies of this building in a patterned, offset form,
while creating a building that could become a landmark in the neighborhood around the station, serving as a prototype for station-front apartment buildings going forward.
We made the building façade using patterned, offset balcony railings and frames to disrupt the line of sight between train passengers and residents.

By using different shades of paint to heighten the contrast between the exterior wall of the balcony and the outer frames,
we were able to draw attention away from the apartment interiors[KS1] while expressing a sense of dynamism with the multifaceted façade surface.

This design made it possible to protect the privacy of residents, shielding them from the line of sight of train passengers,
while maintaining a sense of expansiveness when looking out onto the balcony from inside the building.

The shape of the façade consists of only a concrete structure and paint,
which enabled us to realize construction within a limited budget, thanks to the technical skills of the on-site craftsmen.

The planned residences will be higher than the station platform.
We decided on loft-type apartments with high ceilings to address privacy issues from trains stopping at the station and bring bright, natural light into the rooms.

We also matched the outline of the building to the outlines of neighboring buildings to the north and south,
to ensure that it would not block the sunlight for those buildings.

We were aiming to make this building a local landmark, given its prime location in front of the station—composed of zig zag-shaped balconies,
the exterior façade expresses a sense of rhythm that is truly unique among the surrounding apartment complexes.

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Zig-Zag apartment

Tokyo, Japan

Zig-Zag apartment

Tokyo, Japan

Product Spec Sheet

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