A Niche in the City

Shiba-Daimon is an important node at the intersection of the main approach to Zojoji Temple and the highway which runs parallel to the ocean. Its potential as an urban space increased after the widening of the adjacent National Highway which runs between the Hamamatsucho area and Tokyo Bay. It has always been an area which people pass through without stopping.

The site of this building was right on the junction. At first it was thought that an office building was the most suitable use of this site. During construction, the economy suddenly changed and the use of the building was drastically altered to contain restaurants and bars.

In this project, I intended to respect the skyline with a moderate exterior, and on the lower level, I intended to make an urban plaza which would attract the public. Additionally, I wished to express the beauty of Japanese lacquering, “Urushi”, in the urban context by applying many layers of fluorine paint on reinforced concrete panels. This treatment achieved a perfectly polished finish. In the lower recessed part of the building, I wished to create a “niche of respite“ in the city. And where people used to pass by, it has become famous as the “black box of Daimon”, where many people flow in and out of every evening.