MESH
Tokyo
Chiba Manabu Architects

Glossy finish takes the edge off bold geometry

© Nacasa & Partners

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In designing Mesh, a three-story building containing six housing units, Chiba Manabu Architects chose simple geometric forms that maintain an abstract sense of continuity with the void of a vacant neighboring block. The building is comprised of a rectangle and a cube, both formed of reinforced steel and concrete. Although this sounds like a recipe for a Brutalist bunker rather than an appealing dwelling, Chiba softened and polished the building’s surfaces, skillfully taking the edge off.

The design team located service functions, such as the kitchen and bathroom, along one elevation of the building. They are paired with a terrace, which draws light and air into the apartments, and collectively comprise a zone that Chiba labels the “infrastructure of living.” This zone surrounds each apartment’s living and sleeping spaces, helping to provide privacy. Generously sized floor plates allow for an open plan in each unit.

Mesh’s materials palette, both indoors and out, consists mainly of exposed concrete punctuated by steel-framed windows and steel doors. Chiba balanced these potentially harsh elements with acrylic emulsion paint. Inside the apartments, light bounces off glossy, wide larch-wood board floors.

Formal name of Project:
MESH

Location:
Tokyo

Gross square footage:
2,570 sq. ft.

Architect:
Chiba Manabu Architects
3-54-4 Sendagaya
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo, Japan #150-0051
81-(0)3-3796-0777 tel.
81-(0)3-3796-0788 fax
www.chibamanabu.com
manabuch@zg7.so-net.ne.jp